THE  BLACK  HILLS; 

O  R, 

THE  LAST  HUNTING  GROUND 
OF  THE  DAKOTAHS. 


A  COMPLETE  HISTORY 

Of   the  Black  Hills  of  Dakota   from    their  First  invasion    in 

1874  to  the  Present  Time,  Comprising  a  Comprehensive 

Account    of    How    They  Lost    Them;    of    Niimerous 

Adventures  of  the  Early  Settlers;    Their  Heroic 

Struggles  for  Supremacy  against  the  Hostile 

Dakotah  Tribes,  and  their  Final  Victory; 

The    Opening   of   the    Country  to 

White     Settlement,    and     its 

Subsequent  Development./ 


BY 

ANNIE     D.    TALLENT. 


ST.   LOUIS: 

NiXON-JONES   PRINTING  CO. 

1899. 


PftESERVAT«)N 
COPY  ADDED 


f  o5l 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1899,  by 

ANNIE  D.  TALLENT, 
In  the  offlce  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


FG51 


To  My 

Fellow-Pioneers 

This   Work 

Is   Respectfully   inscribed. 


iwl8S687 


INTRODUCTION. 


By  some    strange  influence    upon  the    jjrocesses  of  the 
human  mind,  trifling  occurrences  and  incidents  in  the  lives 
of  nations,   as  well  as  individuals,  frequently  assume  large 
proportions,  and    grow  in  interest  year  by  year  as  they  go 
by.     "As  distance    lends  enchantment  to  the    view,"   so 
time  throws  the  glamour  of  romance  over  receding  events. 
Belief  in   these  bits  of  proverbial  wisdom,  and  the  hope 
that  the  mellowing  influence  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century 
may  have  likewise  invested  the  unwritten  chapters  of  Black 
Hills  pioneer  history  with  added  interest,  together  with  the 
helpful  encouragement    of  many   friends    throughout    the 
Hills,  first  induced  the  author  to  undertake  the  task  result- 
ing in  the  production  of  this  little  work.     It  seemed  proper, 
too,  that   the  part  enacted  by  those  who  stood  in  the  front 
ranks,  in  the  thick  of  the  fray,  in  the  sanguinary  battle  for 
the  settlement    of  the    Black  Hills,  should  be  placed  upon 
record  before   they  "  shuflied  off  the  mortal  coil,"  or,  ere 
passing  years  should  leave  but  a  shadowy  memory  of  their 
courage  and    brave  endurance,    and  future  generations  be 
thus  compelled    to  accept  the  story  of  their  struggles  and 
heroism  as  a  vague  and  unsatisfactory  tradition. 

The  original  plan  and  scope  of  the  work  did  not  con- 
template a  full  and  comprehensive  history  in  all  its  broad 
significance,  but  a  compilation  of  all  information  in  relation 
to  the  Black    Hills,  obtainable   without  labored  research, 

(V) 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  I. 

PAGE 

The  Dakotahs 1 

First  Invasion  of  Black  Hills 4 

First    Movement    Looking   Toward  Colonization    of 

Black  Hills  in  1872 5 

Adventures  on  the  Border 8 

Chapter  H. 

The  Custer  Black  Hills  Expedition 13 

Gold  E'ound  by  Indians 17 

Organization  of   First  Expedition 18 

Chapter  III. 

Preparations  for  the  Journey 20 

Sioux  City  Gold  Hunters 25 

The  First  Defection 27 

Chapter  IV. 

Crossing  the  Niobrara 32 

Bill  of  Fare  on  the  Plains 36 

Sickness  in  Camp ...  40 

Almost  a  Tragedy  within  the  Fold 42 

Chapter  V. 

Crossing  the  Bad  Lands 45 

A  Death   in    Camp 47 

(ix) 


X  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

An  Amusing  Incident 49 

First  Sight  of  tlie  Black   Hills 52 

Chapter  VI. 

Crossing  the  Cheyenne  River 53 

Indians  Discovered 53 

Strike  Custer's  Trail  and  Journey   through  the  Black 

Hills  —  A  Revelation 57 

Reach  French  Creek  and  find  Gold 60 

Christmas  Day  in  the  Black  Hills  in  1874     ....  63 

Chapter  VII. 

Building    Stockade ^Q 

Life  in  Stockade  during  Winter  of   1874-5      ...  67 

Messengers  carry  out  the  Glad  Tidings      ....  75 

Two  More  Leave  the  Stockade 81 

Stockade  Party  taken  out  of  the  Hills  by   the  Gov- 
ernment       84 

Chapter  VIII. 

Riding  out  of  the  Hills  on  a  Government  Mule     .      .  87 

Reach  Fort  Laramie 94 

Terrible  Experience  of  Troops  sent   after   our  Expe- 
dition       96 

AStreet  Interview  with  "  Wild  Bill  '^ 100 

Chapter  IX. 

The  Black  Hills  —  Its  Mountains,  Forests,  Climate, 

Productions,  etc 103 

The  Black  Hills  never  the  Home  of  the  Indians     .     .  Ill 

Some    Indian   Traditions 112 

ImmJorration  to  Black  Hills    in    1875-76      ....  115 


CONTENTS.  XI 

Chapter  X. 

PAGE 

The  First  to  Enter  the  Bhick  Hills  in   1875     ...  118 

The  First  Expedition  in  1875 120 

Scientific  Expedition   sent  to  Black  Hills     ....  123 

Chapter  XI. 

The  Cession  of  the  Black  Hills 130 

Advent  of  Gen.  Crook  in  Black  Hills 134 

Miners  Leave  Hills  by  Order  of  Gen.  Crook     .      .      .  136 

Miners  Return  to  Hills 138 

The  Cavalry  Force   Withdrawn 139 

Custer  City  in  1875 140 

French  Creek  the  Mecca  of  Pioneers  in  1875     .     .      .  141 

Chapter  XII. 

Some  of  the  Pioneers  of  1875,  and  how   they  got  to 

the    Black    Hills 143 

The  Major  Part  of  the  Expedition 158 

Chapter  XIII. 

How  Some  of  the   Pioneers  Fooled  Uncle  Sam      .      .  160 

Chapter  XIV. 

Firf^t  Discovery  of  Placer  Gold  in  Northern  Hills      .  171 

First  Locations  on  Deadwood  Gulch 176 

First  to  bring  Merchandise  to  the  Black   Hills      .      .  181 

First  Gold  Dust  taken  out  of  Black  Hills     ....  187 

Chapter  XV. 

Early  Freight  and  Passenger  Transportation  to  Black 

Hills    r  .     .     .     .     .' 189 

Early  Postal  Facilities  in  the  Black  Hills     ....  193 


XU  CONTKNTS. 


Chapter  XVI. 

PAGE 

The  Yellowstone  Expedition  or  the  Indian  Campaign 

of  1876 199 

The  Custer  Column 203 


Chapter  XVII. 

News  of  the  Terrible  Disaster  reaches  the  Black  Hills  222 

The  Summer  Campaign  —  Gen.  Geo.  Crook     .     .     .  227 

Chapter  XVIII. 

The  Year  1876  in  Black  Hills 236 

Some  of  the  Expeditions  of  1876        236 

Chapter  XIX, 

Montana  Expeditions 249 

The  Centennial  Party 259 

Outward-bound  Pilgrims 262 

Chapter  XX. 

Chapter  of  First  Events 264 

Second  Suit  in  Equity  in  the  Black  Hills      ....  266 

First  Person  Killed 268 

Chapter  XXI, 

Custer  in  1876 287 

Massacre  of  Metz  Family 294 

Hostiles  Returning:  from  Little  Big  Horn     .      .      ,      ,  295 

Raids  on  Custer 296 

Scalped  a  Man  Alive 298 


CONTENTS.  Xm 
CHArTER     XXII. 

PAGK 

Rapid  City  iu  1876 •      .  803 

Block  House  Built                                  314 

Upper  Rapid 314 

Location  of  Ranches  in  Rapid  River  Valley  in  1876   .  314 

CHAPrEH  XXIII. 

A  Trip  from  Cheyenne  to  Deadwood  in  1876   .      .      .  316 

A  Personal  Reminiscence 325 


Chapter  XXIV. 

Placer  Mining  in  Deadwood  Gulch  in  1876        .     .     .  332 

Placer  Mining  Processes        336 

Hydraulic  Placer  Mining 339 

Early  Quartz  Mining  in  the  Black  Hills 341 

Peculiarities  of  Miners 344 


Chapter  XXV. 

Deadwood  in  1876 346 

Sunday  in  Deadwood — Pioneer  Days 354 

Deadwood  by  Lamplight 355 

How  We  Celebrated  Our  Natal  Day  in  1876     ...  356 

Platting  of  South  Deadwood 361 

First  Mulder  in  Northern  Hills 362 

Murder  of  Wild  Bill 366 

Chapter  XXVI. 

Indian  Raid  on  Montana  Herd .  370 

Wolf  Mountain  Stampede 373 

Telegraph  Line  Reaches  Deadwood 376 

Failure  of  Bill  for  Territory  of  Lincoln      .      .      .      .  380 


XIV  CONTENTS. 


Chapter  XXVII. 

PAGE 

Black  Hills  opened  to  Settlement 383 

Judges  of  the  Black  Hills  District  and  Circuil  Courts  384 

Highway  Robbers  and  Road  Agents 385 

How  a  Deadwood  Lady  Saved  Her  Watch  ....  389 

Deadwood  Famous  Treasure  Coach 390 


Chapter  XXVIII. 

Custer  County 395 

The  Mines  of  Custer  County 398 

The  Mica  Mines  of  Custer  County      ......  403 

Custer  City 405 

Sylvan  Lake 406 

Custer  in  1877 408 

Hermosa 415 


Chapter  XXIX. 

Pennington  County  —  Its  organization      .     .     .     .  416 

County  Seat 420 

Schools  and  Churches 422 

Library  Association 425 

Secret  Orders — Manufacturing 427 

Chlorination  Works  —  Water  System  of  Rapid  City.  428 

School  of  Mines 432 

Rapid  City — Incorporated 435 

Rapid  City  Fire  Department  and  Banking  Institutions  438 


Chapter  XXX. 

Horse  Stealing  Around  Rapid  City  in  1877       .      .      .     443 
Mining  Stampedes  in  Rapid  City 444 


CONTENTS.  XV 

Chapter  XXXI. 

PAGE 

Hill  City 448 

Queen  Bee  —  Sberidan     .     .           455 

Rochford 458 

Pactola    . 462 

Harney 465 

Hayward 466 

Rockerville 467 

Castleton,  Sitting  Bull,  Silver  City,  and  Keystone     .  472 

Chapter  XXXH. 

Lawrence  County .  476 

Deadwood 479 

The  Great  Fire 486 

Deadwood' s  Water  System 488 

The  Great  Flood 490 

Chapter  XXXIII. 

New  Deadwood 496 

Deadwood's  Reduction  Works 496 

Deadwood's  First  Railroad        498 

Banking  Institutions 501 

Chapter  XXXIV. 

History  of  Homestake  Mines ^     .  508 

Lead  City 517 

Emergency  Hospital 524 

Hearst  Free  Library  —  Newspapers,  etc 524 

Chapter  XXXV. 

Central  City 528 

Churches 530 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

PAGK 

Terraville 535 

Crook  City 537 

Chapter  XXXVI. 

Speai-fish 540 

Chapter  XXXVII. 

Horse  Thieves  and  Cattle  Rustling  on  the  Northern 

Frontier 559 

Fight  with  Exelbee  Gang  —  Sequel  to  the  Fight   .      .  562 

How  Spearfish  came  to  be  called  "  The  Queen  City  "  565 

Spearfish  Normal  School 566 

Organization 571 

Chapter  XXXVIII. 

Galena  Silver  Camp 576 

Terry 579 

Bald  Mountain  Refractory  Ore  Deposit 582 

Chapter  XXXIX. 

Our  Pioneers 592 

Society  of  Black  Hills  Pioneers 593 

Black  Hills  Pioneers  and  Historical  Society  of  1877  .  605 

Chapter  XL. 

Meade  County 607 

Sturgis 612 

Schools,  Churches 617 

Banks,  Manufactures,  and  Water  System    ....  622 

Electric  Light  System 625 


CONTENTS.  XVn 

Chapter  XLI. 

PAGK 

Fort  Meade 631 

Tilford 635 

Piedmont 636 

Black  Hawk 639 

Chapter  XLU. 

Fall  Kiver  County 640 

Thermal  Springs 642 

Chapter  XLIII. 

Hot  Springs  of  Minnekahta 655 

Public  Institutions  —  Fire  Department  and  Electric 

Light  Systems 659 

Cascade,  Wind  Cave 670 

Edgemont , 672 

Chapter  XLIV. 

Butte  County 675 

Minnesela 678 

Belle  Fourche   . 679 

Cattle  Shipping  Industry 684 

Building  Wyoming  &  Missouri  River  R.  R.       ...  684 

Cattle  Out6ts  of  Black  Hills 685 

Chapter  XLV. 

Organization    of    Dakota   Territory   and   Subsequent 

Struggle  for  Statehood 687 

Sioux  Treaties 687 

Assessed  Valuation  of  South  Dakota 695 

South  Dakota  Permanent  School  Fund 696 

0 


xvm 


CONTENTS. 


Chafter   XLVI. 

PAGK 

The  Treaty  of  1889  for  the  Great  Sioux  Reservation 

in  Dakota .  697 

The  Messiah  Craze,  etc 700 

The  Arrival  of  a  Military  Force  at  Pine  Ridge      .     .  703 
The  Advent  of  Gen.  Miles  and  the  Disarmament  of 

the  Hostiles 708 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIOKS. 


-r^       i.-     •                                                        ....     Fiont. 
Frontispiece 

Stone  Showing  Record  of  Early  Black  Hills  History  10 

H.  N.  Ross ;     '     ■  o! 

The  Pioneers  of  1874 f^ces  p.  24 

The   Gordon  Stockade,  1876 ^^ 

Eaf  Witcher,  March,  1875        J^J^ 

The  Needles  near  Harney's  Peak 

Devil's  Tower  showing  Millions  of   Tons  of  Fallen 

Rocks  

Prof.  Walter  P.  Jenny f'^^^s  p.  124 

Red  Cloud 

Spotted  Tail '      '      '      '    J     '      '  ^7o 

Wm.   Lardner ^«^«  P'  ^^ 

Fred.  T.Evans f-<^««  P-  f^ 

H.  N.  Witcher f^^«««  P'  ^^^ 

Transportation  from  Pierre  to  Deadwood     '     '     '  JZ^ 

Sitting  Bull ;     ■     ■  919 

Gen.  Custer's  Last  Charge taces  p.  212 

Gen.  Custer's  Last  Battle faces  p.  220 

^         /-,     -                                                              .    faces  p.  22b 

Gen.  Custer 988 

Sioux  Indians  in  War  Costumes ^6Q 

Attack  on  Wagon  Train  en   route  to  Black  Hills  in 

246 
1876 

Black  Hills  Treasure  Coach 

Dr.  D.W.  Flick tkcesp.  26b 

A.  W.  Merrick •      •     •    ^^^^^  P'  ;J^ 

Porter  Warner f^«««  P-  f„^ 

Col.  James  M.  Wood f^«^^  P-  -'^ 

Jack   Langrishe ^''^''  P-  ^^^ 

(XIX) 


XX  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Capt.   C.  V.    Gardner faces  p.  280 

Milton  E.  Pinney faces  p.  282 

Judge  Thomas  Hooper faces  p.  288 

Custer  in  1876 289 

S.  M.  Booth.    . faces  p.  292 

Scene  at  Red  Canyon  after  the  Murder  of  the  Metz 

Party 293 

Thomas  E.  Harvey faces  p.  300 

Ellis  T.  Peiice,  Bhick  Hills  Humorist     .      .    faces  p.  302 

John  R.  Brennan faces  p.  306 

Block  House  at  Rapid  City  —  1876 313 

Capt.  Jack  Crawford,  the  Poet  Scout 327 

No.  4,  above  Discovery,  on  Deadwood 333 

Cabin  on  Claim  No.  2,  Deadwood  Gulch     ....  335 

White  Rocks  Overlooking  Deadwood     .           ...  347 

Deadwood  in  1876 349 

Witcher's  Freight  Train  on  the  Streets  of  Deadwood 

in  1876 353 

Gen.  A.  R.  Z.  Dawson faces  p.  360 

James  Halley faces  j).  378 

Judge  Granville  G.  Bennett faces  p.  383 

Hon.  Gideon  C.  Moody faces  p.  385 

Custer  City faces  p.  404 

Sylvan  Lake 407 

Joseph  Kubler faces  p.  411 

The  Start  for  Harney  Peak 413 

A  Distant  View  of  Harney's  Peak     .     .     .    faces  p.  418 

Rapid  City  in  1878 421 

Richard  B.  Hughes faces  p.  424 

Rapid     City     Chlorination     Plant    and     School    of 

Mines faces  p.  428 

Beecher's  Rocks,  near  Custer 430 

Rapid  City,  Looking  North,  in  1899  .     ,     .    faces  p.  436 

Judge  John  W.  Nowlin faces  p.  442 

Hill  City  in  1876 449 

Old  U.  S.  Courthouse,  Sheridan    ....    faces  p.  456 

Rochford  at  the  Beginning  of  the  Boom,  1878       .     .  460 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS.  XXI 

Stage  Coach,  Main  Street,  Deadwood 481 

Deadwood  after  the  Great  Flood  of  1883     ....  493 
The    Deadwood    &    Delaware    Smelter,    Deadwood, 

South  Dakota faces  p.  497 

Sol.  Star .    faces  p.  502 

Frank  J.  Washabaugh faces  p.  504 

Deadwood  from  Forest  Hill faces  p.  506 

The  Great  Homestake  Works  at  Lead     .     .    faces  p.  512 
The  Homestake  Hoisting  Works,  2,000  Horse-power 

used.  Lead  City 516 

Lead  City,  Black  Hills,  South  Dakota     .     .    faces  p.  522 

Central  City  in  1878 529 

Seth  Bullock faces  p.  534 

Terraville  Gold  Mining  Camp 536 

Crook  City  in  1876 538 

Speartish    in    1876,   with    Lookout    Mountain  in  the 

Background 544 

Spearfish  Town  in  1877 552 

Picture  Gallery  in  Spearfish  in  1877 556 

Terry,  Mining  Center  of  the  Great  Refractory  Ore 

District  of  the  Black  Hills 580 

Golden  Reward  Gold  Mine,  Deadwood 585 

Kildonan  Chlorination  Mine  at  Pluma,  between  Dead- 
wood  and  Lead 589 

Spearfish  in  1895 faces  p.  572 

Group   of  Presidents  of  Society  of  Black  Hills  Pio- 
neers        faces  p.  598 

Building  Erected  at  Lead  by  P.  A.  Gushurst,  faces  p.  601 

Sturgis  in  1899 faces  p.  609 

Meade  County  Courthouse 611 

Street  Scene  in  Sturgis,  1898 626 

Rough  Riders  Leaving  Sturgis  for  Cuba,  May,  1898.  629 

Fort  Meade,  Bear  Butte  in  the  Background,  faces  p.  632 

"Comache" 635 

Horseshoe  Curve  on  the  Fort  Pierre  R.  R,  between 

Lead  and  Piedmont 637 

'Col.  Wm.  Thornby faces  p.  647 


XX 11 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Dr.  R.  D.  Jeuniugs faces  p.  652 

The  First  House  on  the  Original  Town-site  of  Hot 

Springs,  built  by  Dr.  R.  A.  Stewart 656 

South  Dakota  Soldiers  Home,  Hot  Springs       .     .     .  660 

Interior  of  Plunge  Bath,  Hot  Springs     .     .    faces  p.  664 

Hot  Springs faces  p.  668 

Cowboy  Scene  in  the  Black  Hills 676 

Cattle  Shipping  Pen  at  Belle  Fourche 680 

Grand  Council  Between  Friendl}^  and  Hostile  Chiefs.  704 
Buffalo    Bill     Holding    a    Conference    with    Sitting 

Bull faces  p.  707 


/' 


THE  BLACK  HILLS; 


OIR 


The  Last  Hunting  Ground  of  the  Dakotahs. 


C  H  x\  P  T  E  R     I. 

THE  DAKOTAHS. 


As  this  book  is  designed  to  be  only  a  history  of  the 
events  and  incidents  connected  with  the  white  settlement 
of  the  Black  Hills,  as  stated  in  the  introduction,  it  seems 
unnecessary  to  go  back  to  the  races  that  had  occupied  this 
portion  of  the  great  American  continent  long  centuries  ago, 
and  of  which  we  have  no  knowledge  save  that  which  is 
based  upon  vague  tradition,  nor  does  it  seem  necessary  to 
more  than  briefly  refer  to  the  mournful  history  of  the  tribes 
of  the  great  Sioux  Nation,  or  the  Dakotahs,  who  have 
been  driven  from  the  East  towards  the  setting  sun  until 
their  last  and  most  cherished  hunting  ground  was  lost 
to  them  forever. 

The  Dakotahs,  or  Nadowessioux —  abbreviated  by  the 
French  explorers  and  trappers  to  Sioux  —  were  doubtless  a 
valorous  people  considered  from  an  Indian  standpoint,  and 
are  credited  with  many  deeds  of  wonderful  prowess  in  their 
numerous  conflicts  with  the  hostile  tribes  to  the  eastward, 
against  whom  they  maintained  their  broad  possessions  for 
at  least  200  years  undisturbed — and  we  know  not  how 
much  longer. 

(1) 


2  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

About  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  Dako- 
tahs  occupied  a  vast  stretch  of  territory  extending  from  the 
48°  of  north  hititude  to  the  Missouri  river,  and  stretching 
westward  to  the  main  range  of  the  Kocky  Mountains. 

In  1837  they  ceded  to  the  United  States  all  their  land 
lying  east  of  the  Mississippi  river,  since  which  time  they 
have  been  losing  their  once  wide  domain  slice  by  slice  until 
at  the  time  of  the  invasion  of  the  Black  Hills  in  1874,  they 
were  confined  to  the  limit  prescribed  by  the  treat}^  of  1868, 
which  will  be  referred  to  farther  on. 

My  readers  need  not  be  told  in  detail  how  that  once  pow- 
erful people  were  reduced  in  numbers,  by  almost  constant 
conflicts  with  other  tribes  to  the  eastward  of  the  Great 
Lakes,  nor  of  how,  by  the  numerous  French  and  Indian 
wars,  and  their  consequent  defeats,  they  were  finally  forced 
to  abandon  the  country,  so  long  occupied  by  them,  around 
the  small  lakes  and  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
driven  down  and  westward  onto  the  plains  of  the  Missouri, 
preceded  by  the  Cheyennes,  nor  of  the  various  cessions  of 
their  territory  made  by  them  to  the  general  government, 
nor  of  how  they  fought  the  onward  march  of  civilization, 
inch  by  inch,  until  all  the  Western  frontiers  were  marked 
by  a  trail  of  the  blood  of  innocent  women  and  children  ;  or, 
mayhap,  by  their  capture  and  torture  even  worse  than 
death  ;  nor  of  the  consequent  wars  with  the  United  States, 
by  which  they  were  almost  exterminated,  and  finally 
driven  to  the  wall.  All  this  is  already  a  matter  of  common 
histor}^  vfith  which  most  school  girls  and  boys  are  familiar 
at  the  present  day. 

It  is  well  known  that,  up  to  the  year  1877,  there  had 
been  almost  perpetual  hostilities  on  the  part  of  the  Indians, 
on  the  excuse  of  broken  treaties,  etc.,  the  suppression  of 
which  cost  the  government  many  millions  of  treasure,  as 
well  as  the  sacrifice  of  thousands  of  human  lives,  and  which 
decimated  the  Indian  tribes,  till  now  there  is  but  a  pitiful 
remnant  of  them  left.  While  it  cannot  be  claimed  that 
treaty  obligations  have  not  been  sometimes  violated  on  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  3 

part  of  the  government — as  in  the  cases  of  Colorado  and 
Montana,  when  vast  hordes  of  adventurers  and  gold-seekers 
crossed  and  recrossed  the  Indian  domain,  despite  treaty 
stipulations,  frightening  and  killing  the  game  upon  which 
they  almost  solely  depended  as  means  of  sustenance. 

The  treaty  of  1868,  guaranteeing  to  the  Indians  as  a 
permanent  reservation,  all  the  territory  lying  between  the 
Missouri  river  on  the  east,  and  the  western  boundary  of 
Dakota  on  the  west,  and  from  the  north  boundary  of  the 
State  of  Nebraska  on  the  south',  to  the  forty-sixth  parallel 
of  latitude  on  the  north  ;  also  stipulated  that  the  country 
north  of  the  Phitte  river  in  Nebraska,  and  east  of  the 
summit  of  the  Big  Horn  mountains  in  Wyoming,  should  be 
held  and  considered  unceded  Indian  territory,  and  that  no 
white  person  or  persons  should  be  permitted  to  settle 
upon,  or  occupy  any  portion  of  same,  nor  to  pass  through 
without  the  consent  of  the  Indians;  and  also  conceded  the 
right  to  the  Indians  to  hunt  south  of  the  North  Platte,  as 
far  as  the  Republican  Fork  of  the  Smoky  Hill  river,  for  a 
terra  of  years,  or,  as  long  as  the  buffalo  might  range  in 
sufficient  numbers  to  justify  the  chase,  and  prohibited 
soldiers  from  entering  the  unceded  territory,  north  of  the 
Platte.  The  treaty  of  1868  also  stipulated  that  the  govern- 
ment should  remove  all  military  posts  and  government 
roads  within  the  limits  of  their  reservation,  the  right  to 
establish  which  was  granted  by  the  treaty  of  1851.  In 
the  following  year,  1869,  notwithstanding  the  treaty  of 
1868,  all  Indians  found  oft'  their  permanent  reservation, 
were  considered  hostile,  and  under  the  jurisdiction  of  mili- 
tary authority.  That  the  provisions  of  the  above  treaty 
were  sometimes  violated  by  the  Indians  there  can  be  no 
doubt,  and  that  its  provisions  were  disregarded  by  the 
invasion  of  their  reservation  in  1874-5-6  is  indisputable, 
but,  ignoring  the  ethical  side  of  the  question,  should  such 
treaties  as  tend  to  arrest  the  advance  of  civilization,  and 
retard  the  development  of  the  rich  resources  of  our  country, 
ever  have  been  entered  into?     This  is  a  question  which  de- 


4  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

mands  much  thoughtful  consideration.  Although  haviog^ 
deep-seated  convictions  on  this  troublesome  Indian  problem, 
as  it  is  not  within  the  province  of  this  book  to  give  them 
expression,  the  question  may  as  well  be  turned  over  to  the 
moralist  and  political  economist  for  discussion. 

FIRST    INVASION    OF    THE    BLACK    HILLS. 

Prior  to  the  year  1874,  that  portion  of  the  Indian  Ter- 
ritory known  as  the  Black  Hills,  was  a  part  and  parcel  of 
the  happy  hunting  ground  of  the  red  man,  and  had  for 
long  centuries  lain  in  an  isolation  almost  complete  as 
"  Darkest  Africa."  Up  to  that  year  none  of  the  several 
expeditions  sent  to  this  Western  country  for  the  purpose  of 
exploration  or  subduing  the  hostilities  of  the  Indians,  had 
succeeded  individually  or  collectively  in  penetrating  the 
mountain  fastnesses  of  the  Black  Hills,  with  the  sole  ex- 
ception of  Gen.  Harney,  who,  with  members  of  his  staff, 
climbed  the  rugged  peak,  which  was  honored  with  that 
brave  officer's  name,  and  on  its  lofty  summit  unfurled  our 
national  emblem  for  the  first  time  to  the  mountain  breeze, 
and  under  its  sacred  folds  pledged  to  it  their  allegiance  and 
undying  loyalty  in  numerous  bumpers  of  sparkling  cham- 
pagne, as  evidenced  by  the  many  empty  bottles  discovered 
on  the  spot  by  the  pioneers  about  two  decades  later.  And 
thereby  hangs  a  romantic  tale. 

The  first  military  and  scientific  expedition  sent  out  for 
the  purpose  of  exploration,  known  as  the  Warren  Expe- 
dition, failed  to  consummate  the  plan  of  penetrating  the 
Black  Hills,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  extract  from 
the  report  of  Lieutenant  Warren  to  the  government. 
He  says:  "  Setting  out  from  Fort  Laramie  on  the  4th  of 
September,  1856,  we  proceeded  direct  for  the  Black  Hills, 
via  Ravv  Hide  Butte,  Old  Woman's  Creek,  the  Southern 
Fork  of  the  Cheyenne,  and  Beaver  Creek;  up  a  branch  of 
this  last  stream  we  entered  the  Hills  (the  foot-hills).  We 
continued  north  to  the  vicinity  of  Inyan  Karce  (or  the 
peak  which    makes  the  mountain),  a  remarkably  high  ba- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  0 

saltlc  peak,  one  of  the  highest  of  the  mountains  and  so  far 
to  the  north  that  we  had  a  full  view  of  the  prairie  beyond. 
Here  we  were  met  by  a  very  hirge  force  of  the  Dakotahs 
who  made  such  earnest  remonstrance  and  threats  against 
our  proceeding  into  their  country  that  I  did  not  think  it 
prudent  for  us  as  a  scientific  expedition  to  venture  further 
in  this  direction.  Some  of  them  were  for  attacking  us  im- 
mediately, as  their  numbers  would  have  insured  success, 
but  the  lesson  taught  them  by  Gen.  Harney,  in  1855,  made 
them  fear  they  would  meet  with  retribution,  and  this  I 
endeavored  to  impress  upon  them.  We  were  at  this  time 
almost  in  sight  of  the  place  where  these  Indians  had  plun- 
dered Sir  George  Gore,  in  1856,  for  endeavoring  to  pro- 
ceed through  their  country." 

The  expedition  of  Capt.  Reynolds,  sent  out  in  1859  with 
the  object  of  exploring  to  the  north  and  west  of  the  Black 
Hills,  around  the  headwaters  of  the  Yellowstone  and  Mis- 
souri river,  its  line  of  march  being  along  the  northern 
slope,  and  on  its  southward  march  the  western  slope  of  the 
Black  Hills,  made  no  attempt  to  enter  the  Hills;  so  I  think 
the  assertion  is  justified  that  no  military  or  scientific  expe- 
'dition  ever  penetrated  the  interior  recesses  of  the  Black 
Hills  until  the  year  1874. 

FIRST    MOVEMENT    LOOKING    TO     THE     COLONIZATION    OF    THE 
BLACK     HILLS,     IN    1872. 

It  is  a  matter  of  unwritten  history,  however,  that  an 
unsuccessful  attempt  was  made  to  organize  a  formidable 
expedition  to  colonize  the  Black  Hills  in  1872,  the  project 
having  its  origin  in  the  exceedingly  fertile  brain  of  Charlie 
Collins,  then  editor  of  the  Sioux  City  Times,  Iowa.  It 
may  not  be  out  of  place  here  to  refer  back  to  an  earlier 
scheme  which,  while  not  pertinent  to  this  history,  will 
reveal  the  peculiar  mental  bent   of  this  adventurous   man. 

His  first  dream,  beginning  in  1869,  was  of  a  gigantic 
colonization  scheme  which  contemplated  the  founding, 
somewhere  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri  river,  a  powerful 


b  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Irish-American  empire,  whose  guiding  star  would  lead 
towards  the  British  dominions  on  the  north.  The  plan 
devised  by  himself  and  his  co-operator,  John  P.  Hodnett, 
then  U.  S.  Assessor  for  Dakota  Territory,  was  to  orsran- 
ize,  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  colonies  of  Irish- 
Americans  to  enter  homesteads  and  settle  upon  that  portion 
of  the  Sioux  (Brule)  reservation  lying  on  the  east  adjacent 
to  the  river,  opposite  the  mouth  of  White  river,  so  that  — 
as  in  substance  stated  by  himself  —  when  "  England's  dif- 
ficulty," and  "Ireland's  opportunity"  should  arise,  a 
patriotic  army  of  Irish-American  colonists  could  conveni- 
ently, and  without  interference,  invade  the  British  domnin 
and  wipe  out,  root  and  branch,  their  long-time  oppressors 
from  the  face  of  the  American  continent. 

Thus  it  will  be  discerned  that  the  scheme,  while  desio;netl 
for  the  betterment  of  the  condition  of  native  and  American 
born  Irishmen  in  this  country,  had  the  eartnarks  of  Fenian- 
ism  plainly  impressed  upon  its  face.  The  plan  was  submitted 
to  the  Fenian  Convention  held  in  St.  Louis  in  the  fall  of 
1869,  which  resulted  in  the  selection  of  a  committee  to 
visit  the  region  referred  to  and  examine  its  resources,  and 
if  satisfactory  to  inaugurate  the  work  of  colonization.  Its 
projectors  even  succeeded  in  securing  the  passage  of  a  bill 
through  Congress,  authorizing  a  colony  corporation,  for 
the  management  of  affairs  —  the  purchase  of  land,  agri- 
cultural implements,  etc.,  designating  for  officers  such 
names  as  A.  T.  Stewart,  Jim  Fiske,  Jr.,  Ben  Butler, 
Wendell  Philips,  and  others  whose  names  were  then  house- 
hold words. 

So  popular  became  the  apparently  philanthropic  scheme 
that  a  famous  millionaire  dry  goods  merchant  offered  a 
half  million  dollars,  to  aid  in  furtherance  of  the  project. 
In  short,  the  committee  selected  to  visit  and  report  upon 
the  resources  of  the  region  of  prospective  settlement,  being, 
for  the  most  part  tenderfeet,  unaccustomed  to  the  terrible 
hardships  of  a  journey  over  the  untrodden  wilds  of  Dakota, 
returned  with  a    very  poor  opinion  of  the  Indian  domain, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  7 

and  submitted  a  majority  report  unfavorable  to  the  scheme. 
A  minority  of  the  committee,  who  reported  favorably,  had 
selected  the  site  where  Brule  City  now  stands,  as  the  seat 
of  empire,  and  named  it  Limerick.  The  majority  report 
however,  dealt  a  vital  blow  to  the  project  and  it  collapsed. 
Mr.  Collins  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  scheme  for  the 
settlement  of  the  Black  Hills  as  before  stated. 

To  boom  the  enterprise  and  attract  public  attention,  he 
during  the  spring  and  summer  of  1872,  published  in  the 
Times  a  series  of  highly  sensational  articles  which  were  dis- 
tributed broadcast  over  the  land,  announcing  that  an 
expedition  was  organizing  in  Sioux  City  with  the  object  of 
exploring  and  revealing  to  the  world  the  hidden  mysteries 
of  the  Black  Hills  of  Dakota. 

En  passant,  it  should  be  stated  here  that  Charlie  Collins, 
although  erratic  and  visionary  to  a  degree,  was  a  writer  of 
no  mean  ability  —  a  man  of  generous  impulses  and  liberal 
to  a  fault,  thoroughly  westernized  in  feeling  and  sentiment, 
and  withal  a  born  organizer.  With  facile  pen  he  por- 
trayed in  glowing  colors  the  golden  treasure  concealed 
within  the  rock-ribbed  hills  and  the  gulches  of  the  land  he 
pictuied ;  drawing  for  the  most  part  on  his  resourceful 
imagination  for  material,  or  rather  for  the  immaterial, 
as  the  existence  of  gold  in  the  Black  Hills  was  then 
scarcely  more  than  a  vague  conjecture,  based  on  Indian 
tradition.  Albeit  these  articles  had  the  effect  of  drawing 
many  to  Sioux  City,  to  which  its  enterprising  people  were, 
naturally,  by  no  means  averse.  Among  those  who  were 
thus  attracted  was  T.  H.  Russell,  a  frontiersman  of  consid- 
erable experience,  having  been  a  pioneer  of  Colorado,  and 
familiar  with  mining  life  among  the  camps  of  the  Rockies. 
Through  the  Indian  wives  of  some  of  his  mountaineer 
acquaintances  he  had  gained  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
traditions  of  the  existence  of  gold  in  the  Black  Hills,  in 
which  traditions  he  was  a  firm  believer. 

On  his  arrival  in  Sioux  City  he  was  naturally  greatly 
disappointed  to  find  that  the   expedition  so  glowingly  de- 


^  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

scribed  in  the  columns  of  the  Times,  as  yet  existed  only 
on  paper;  however,  entering  into  the  spirit  of  the  enter- 
prise, Collins  and  Russell,  jointly  with  others,  began  at 
once  the  work  of  org-anization. 

Prominent  among  the  organizers  were  Charles  S.  Soule, 
manager  of  the  Northwestern  Transportation  Company, 
Dan  Scott,  editor  of  the  Sioux  City  Journal;  Harnett  & 
Howard,  and  man}'  others.  Gen  A.  C.  Dawes,  general 
passenger  agent  of  the  Kansas  City  &  St.  Joe  Railroad, 
also  lent  valuable  assistance  to  the  project. 

Pamphlets  were  compiled  and  published  at  the  Times 
oflSce,  setting  forth  the  grand  possibilities  of  the  Black 
Hills,  their  distance  from  Sioux  City,  cost  of  transporta- 
tion, etc.  Plentifully  supplied  with  these  pamphlets, 
Capt.  Russell  made  a  tour  of  the  towns  along  the  Missouri 
river  as  far  down  as  Kansas  City,  judiciously  distributing 
his  literature  to  such  as,  in  his  judgment,  were  liable  to 
join.  The  success  of  the  trip  proved  all  that  could  be 
desired,  hundreds  from  the  Missouri  river  towns  enrolling 
members  of  the  expedition,  which  was  dated  to  start 
on  September  1,  1872.  As,  apparently,  no  care  had  been 
taken  to  keep  the  expedition  secret,  the  movement  tinally 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  military  authorities  of 
the  government,  when  Gen.  Hancock,  then  in  command 
at  Fort  Snelling,  issued  the  following  peremptory  order  to 
the  post  commanders  on  the  Missouri  river:  "That  any 
expedition  organized  for  the  purpose  of  penetrating  the 
Black  Hills,  be  immediately  dispersed,  the  leaders  arrested 
and  placed  in  the  nearest  military  prison."  This  order 
inflicted  the  death  blow  to  the  projected  expedition  to 
the  Black  Hills  in  1872.  All  preparation  immediately 
ceased,  and  the  expedition  was  abandoned,  much  to  the 
disappointment  and  disgust  of  the  organizers. 

ADVENTURES    ON  THE  BORDER. 

It  is  claimed  upon  authority,  which  we  have  no  good 
reason  to  dispute,  that  adventurous    parties,  at   different 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAIvOTAHS.  V 

dates,  as  far  back  as  1859,  and  perhaps  before,  had,  despite 
the  vigilance  and  extreme  hostility  of  the  Sioux,  who 
guarded  their  domain  against  encroachment  with  a  jealous 
eye,  made  some  discoveries  of  the  precious  metkl  in  the 
country  west  of  the  Black  Hills  in  the  Big  Horn  Mountains  ; 
and  had  also,  according  to  Indian  traditions  —  substantiated 
by  tangible  evidences  discovered  by  prospectors  in  1876-7  — 
ventured  around  the  western  and  northern  bases  and  a  short 
distance  into  the  foothills  or  spurs  of  the  Black  Hills. 

There  was  a  story  published  years  ago,  for  the  authenticity 
of  which  I  am  not  able  to  vouch,  and  which,  therefore,  must 
be  accepted  at  its  face  value,  that  a  party  of  nineteen  men 
detached  themselves  at  Fort  Laramie  from  a  large  party  of 
gold  hunters  en  route  for  California  —  influenced  by  cur- 
rent reports  of  rich  gold  discoveries  in  the  Black  Hills, 
made  their  way  thither,  found  rich  gold  deposits,  and 
worked  claims,  and  were  all  massacred  by  the  Indians,  save 
one,  who  shortly  after  died. 

Prospectors  coming  into  the  Hills  during  the  great  rush 
of  1876,  claim  to  have  found  proofs  corroborative  of  the 
above  story  in  the  shape  of  old  sluice  boxes,  gradually 
crumbling  into  deca}^  corroded  mining  implements,  and 
other  evidences  that  gold  hunters  had  mined  in  some  of  the 
gulches  along  the  northern  border  of  the  Hills,  even  as  far 
back  as  1833. 

Among  the  private  collection  of  fossils  and  other  curios 
in  possession  of  John  Cashner,  of  Spearfish,  St)uth  Da- 
kota, there  is  a  simple  flat  stone,  carefully  preserved  and 
framed,  which  furnishes  material  for  an  exceedingly  inter- 
esting bit  of  early  Black  Hills  history.  It  is  an  irregular 
sandstone  tablet  about  twelve  inches  square  and  two  and 
one  half  inches  thick,  bearing  an  inscription  which,  if 
genuine,  reveals  a  truly  pathetic  story.  This  tablet  was 
discovered  in  March,  1887,  in  the  middle  draw  of  Look- 
out Mountain,  by  Lewis  Thoen,  of  Spearfiir'h,  while  quarry- 
ing for  builduig  stone.  It  was  found  concealed  under  a 
large,  flat  rock,  the  crevice  between  which  and  the  ground 


10 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


underneath  was  filled  in  by  the  drifting  sands  of  years 
and  overgrown  with  vegetation,  giving  the  discovery  every 
appearance  of  genuineness. 

Learning  of  this  cold,  mute  witness  of  an  early  Black 
Hills  tragedy,  the  author,  partly  to  gratify  a  natural  curi- 
osity and  partly  to  be  enabled  to  vouch  for  its  existence, 
visited  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  Cashner  and  found  the  stone  as 
above  described.  On  the  tablet  is  inscribed,  apparently  by 
the  blade  of  a  pocket  knife  and  in  somewhat  irregular 
lines,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  accom)mni ng  cut,  the  follow- 


ing tragic  story.  On  one  side  is  recorded:  "Came  to 
these  Hills  in  1833,  seven  of  us  DeLacompt  Ezra  Kind  G. 
W.  Wood  T  Brown  R  Kent  Wm  King  Indian  Crow,  all 
ded  but  me  Ezra  Kind.  Killed  by  Inds  beyond  the  high 
hill  got  our  gold  June  1834."  On  the  reverse  side  :  "  Got 
all  of  the  gold  we  could  carry  our  pony  all  got  by  the  In- 
dians. I  have  lost  my  gun  and  nothing  to  eat  and  Indians 
hunting  me." 

This  story,  besides  having  in  itself  many  of  the  elements 
of  probability  is,  as  related  by  old  hunters  who  had  spent 
years  amongst  them,  also  verified  by  Indian  tradition, 
which  tells  that  upon  a  time,  a  band  of  Sioux  hunters  in 
quest  of  game,  came  upon  a  stream,  muddied,  as  they  sup- 
posed, by  beavers,  and  in   following  it  up,  found  the  small 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  11 

party  of  gold  hunters,  swooped  down  upon  them,  killing 
all  but  one,  who  escaped,  and  appropriated  their  gold,  which 
was  afterward  sold  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  for 
$18,000  (or  probably  its  equivalent  in  fire  water,  beads,  and 
other  glittering  gewgaws  so  dear  to  the  hearts  of  savages). 
The  fact  that  this  tradition  tallies  with  the  record  on  the 
stone  tablet,  certainly  entitles  the  story  to  much  credence. 

The  supposition  is,  that  this  gold  was  mined  in  the 
vicinity  of  Gold  Run,  about  twelve  miles  from  Lookout 
mountain,  in  a  direct  line.  The  theory  appears  to  be  that 
Ezra  Kind,  after  making  his  escape  from  the  Indians,  went 
into  hiding  in  the  middle  draw  of  Lookout  mountain,  where 
he  inscribed  his  sad  story  on  a  piece  of  sandstone,  which  he 
concealed  under  a  large  rock,  where  he  hoped  it  might 
some  day  be  found  ;  then  either  died  from  starvation  or 
was  finally  killed  by  the  Indians. 

The  spot  where  the  tablet  was  accidentally  discovered, 
which  was  also  visited,  seemed  well  adapted  for  the  cache, 
being  some  ten  or  twelve  feet  below  the  level  of  the  ground 
about  it,  two  large  scrub  oaks  marking  the  spot.  Back 
towards  the  mountain  about  100  yards,  the  draw  deepens 
to  eighteen  or  twent}'  feet  and  is  overhung  with  large 
bushes,  making  an  admirable  place  for  concealment  from 
Indians. 

The  publication  of  the  story  of  the  above  discovery  in 
some  of  the  principal  newspapers  of  the  country  brought 
letters  from  parties  who  claimed  to  be  relatives  of  some  of 
the  unfortunate  missing  men,  which  tends  to  strengthen 
somewhat  its  credibility. 

Father  De  Smet,  the  venerable  Catholic  missionary,  often 
visited  the  Hills  with  his  savage  proteges,  but  how  far  into 
the  interior  of  the  Black  Hills  proper  he  ever  penetrated, 
is  uncertain. 

Let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  what  was  named  the  Black 
Hills  embraced  a  large  scope  of  territory  extending  from 
the  I03d  meridian  of  longitude  on  the  east  to  the  Big  Horn 
and  Wind  rivers  on  the  west,  and  from  the  Laramie  and 


12  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Sweetwater  rivers  on  the  south  to  the  Yellowstone  on  the 
north,  so  that  it  is  quite  easy  to  believe  that  portions  of 
that  territory  had  been  visited  and  prospected  for  gold  at  a 
much  earlier  date  than  1874. 

In  speaking  of  the  Black  Hills  proper,  reference  is  had 
to  the  main  uplift,  embraced  between  the  two  forks  of  the 
Cheyenne  river. 

It  may  safely  be  asserted  then,  that  no  adventurous 
spirits  ever  penetrated  very  far  into  the  interior  of  the 
Black  Hills  previous  to  the  year  1874,  and,  as  we  have  no 
positive  proof  of  any  such  exploration,  it  may  be  assumed 
that  up  to  that  time  they  had  remained  a  vague  mystery. 
However,  they  were  destined  to  remain  a  mystery  no 
longer.  Thenceforth  the  beautiful  pine-clad  Black  Hills 
were  no  longer  to  echo  to  the  shrill  war-whoop  of  the 
Sioux,  nor  the  turf  of  the  fair,  smiling  valleys  lying  be- 
tween, respond  to  their  stealthy  tread.  In  1874  the  camp- 
fires  of  the  red  man  were  extinguished  in  the  Black  Hills, 
never  again  to  be  rekindled.  The  spirit  of  adventure  and 
aggression  was  then  abroad  in  the  land  ;  the  handwriting 
was  on  the  wall.  The  gold-ribbed  Black  Hills  were  to  be 
snatched  from  the  grasp  of  savages,  to  whom  they  were 
uo  longer  profitable  even  as  a  hunting  ground,  and  given 
over  to  the  thrift  and  enterprise  of  the  hardy  pioneer,  who 
would  develop  their  wonderful  resources  and  thereby 
advance  the  interests  and  add  to  the  wealth  of  our  whole 
country. 


AST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.      IS^ 


.CHAPTER  ir. 

THE  CUSTER  BLACK  HILLS  EXPEDITION. 

On  July  2cl,  1874,  ao  expedition  under  the  command  of 
Gen.  Geo.  A.  Custer,  left  Fort  Abraham  Lincoln  with  ten 
companies  of  cavalry,  two  of  infantry,  a  detachment  of 
white  and  Indian  scouts,  interpreters,  miners,  teamsters, 
etc.,  in  all  about  1,000  men,  under  orders  from  the  Gov- 
ernmental Department,  to  make  a  reconnoissance  of  the 
country  from  that  point  to  Bear  Butte  on  the  north  of  the 
Hills,  and  explorations  of  the  country  adjacent  thereto,  on 
the  southwest,  south,  and  southeast,  and  into  the  interior 
eastward  for  the  purpose  presumably  of  learning  some- 
thing of  the  topography  and  geological  formation  of  the 
Hills,  and  also  of  their  general  character  and  possible 
resources.  The  prime  object  of  the  expedition,  however, 
would  appear  to  be  to  ascertain  their  exact  geographical 
position,  relative  to  the  military  posts,  Lincoln  and  Lara- 
mie, with  a  view  to  the  establishment  of  other  posts  within 
or  near  the  Black  Hills,  in  case  future  complications  with 
the  Sioux  rendered  it  necessary. 

The  following  extract  from  the  report  of  William  Lud- 
low, chief  of  engineers,  Department  of  Dakota,  accompany- 
ing the  expedition,  will  make  clear  its  real  object :  — 

"  In  case  of  any  future  complication  with  the  Sioux,  or 
the  needs  of  bordering  civilization  should  make  it  neces- 
sary  to  establish  military  posts  on  this  reservation,  indica- 
tions all  point  to  the  Black  Hills  as  the  most  suitable  point, 
both  on  account  of  their  geographical  position,  and  on  the 
abundance  of  wood,  water,  and  grass  to  be  found  there. 
To  explain  the  value  of  its  position,  it  should  be  stated 
that  the  trails  from  the  camp  of  the  hostile  Sioux  on  the 


14  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

Yellowstone  to  the  agencies  near  the  Missouri,  where  live 
the  reservation  Indians,  and  where  the  issues  of  annuities 
are  made,  lead  by  a  southeasterly  course  through  the  Hills, 
the  abundance  of  game,  and  ample  security  of  which  make 
them  a  ready  refuge  in  time  of  war,  and.  a  noble  hunting 
orround  in  time  of  peace.  It  was  therefore  desirable  to 
gain  positive  information  regarding  them,  and  to  connect 
them  as  well,  by  reconnoissance  with  the  posts  of  Lincohi 
and  Laramie.  To  accomplish  these  results  was  the  object 
of  this  expedition." 

In  this  connection  the  opinion  is  ventured  that  there 
might  have  been  another  object  underlying  the  action  of 
the  government,  and  one  of  more  vital  interest  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  countr}^  who  were  looking  with  covetous  eyes 
towards  this  rich  domain,  namely,  their  ultimate  redemp- 
tion from  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  and  their  consequent 
opening  to  white  settlement,  in  case  the  vague  rumors  that 
had  reached  the  world,  of  their  fabulous  richness,  should 
be  borne  out  by  the  facts. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  a  hasty  exploration  was  made  —  all 
that  was  possible  in  the  limited  time  tixed  for  the  work 
(sixty  days  time),  sufficiently  extensive,  however,  to  answer 
the  purpose  for  which  the  expedition  was  organized,  and 
to  gain  a  partial  knowledge  of  the  formation  of  the  Hills, 
and  their  general  topographical  features. 

The  expedition  entered  the  Hills  on  the  west,  at  a  point 
near  Inyan-Kara,  penetrated  southeastward  as  far  as 
Harney's  Peak,  thence  southward  across  the  southern  limits 
of  the  Hills  to  the  south  fork  of  the  Cheyenne  river. 

From  this  point,  Charlie  Reynolds,  Custer's  chief  of 
scouts,  was  sent  alone  across  the  Indian  infested  country 
with  dispatches  to  Fort  Laramie,  and  it  is  alleged  that  the 
famous  scout  suffered  exposure  and  privations  on  the  jour- 
ne}',  from  the  effects  of  which  he  never  fully  recovered. 

Returning  to  Harney's  Peak  the  expedition  spent  a  few 
days  prospecting  in  the  region  of  the  Peak,  then  took  up 
their  march   along  the    Box  Elder,  and  finally  after  some 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  15 

difficulty  found  its  way  out  of  the  Hills  at  a  point  nearly 
opposite  Bear  Butte,  which  embraced  all  the  territory 
explored. 

But  very  little  prospecting  was  done,  and  that  principally 
on  the  heads  of  the  streams  draining  the  area  around 
Harney's  Peak,  where  only  five  days  were  spent,  the  longest 
time  at  any  one  point,  in  j)roof  of  which  I  will  quote  from 
General  Custer's  Report  to  the  War  Department,  in  detail- 
ing the  work  of  the  expedition,  the  following  :  — 

"It  will  be  understood  that  within  the  limits  of  the 
Black  Hills  we  were  almost  constantly  marching,  never 
halting  at  any  one  point  for  a  longer  time  than  one  day  — 
except  one,  and  that  was  near  Harney's  Peak,  where  we 
remained  five  days;  most  of  the  command,  however,  being 
employed  in  operations  during  the  halt.  From  this  it  will 
be  seen  that  no  satisfactory  or  conclusive  examination  of 
the  country  could  be  made  regarding  its  mineral  deposits  ; 
enough,  however,  was  determined  to  establish  the  fact  that 
gold  is  distributed  throughout  an  extensive  area  within  the 
Black  Hills.  No  discoveries,  as  far  as  I  am  aware,  were 
made  of  gold  deposits  in  quartz,  although  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  a  more  thorough  and  extended  search 
would  have  discovered  it.  Seeking  for  gold  was  not  one 
of  the  objects  of  the  expedition;  consequently,  we  were 
but  illy-prepared  to  institute  or  successfully  prosecute  a 
search  for  it,  even  after  we  became  aware  of  its  existence 
in  the  country." 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that,  although  prospects 
of  gold  were  found  in  the  gulches  of  the  streams  flowing 
from  the  region  of  Harney's  Peak,  no  deposits  of  gold  in 
quartz  were  discovered.  The  fact  was  revealed  to  the  pio- 
neers of  1874  in  their  search  for  gold,  very  shortly  after, 
that  the  prospecting  done  by  the  Custer  expedition  was  a 
mere  bagatelle;  besides,  there  was  such  a  wide  discrepancy 
of  statement  in  the  reports  of  the  experts  accompanying 
the  expedition,  in  regard  to  even  the  existence  of  gold  in 
the  Black  Hills,  that  the  public  mind  was  thrown  into  a 


16 


THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


greater  degree  of  uncertainty  than  before,  for,  while  Gen- 
eral Custer  and  the  mining  experts  of  the  expedition 
claimed  to  have  found  gold.  Prof.  Winchell,  geologist,  was 
equally  positive  in  his  claim  that  he  did  not  see  a  single  one 
of  the    shining  particles.     The  sequel    has  demonstrated. 


H.    N.    ROSS, 

Oue   of  the  Mining  Experts  of  tlie  Custer  Expedition  of  1874. 

however,  that  the  Professor  probably  did  not  see  the  gold 
because  he  wouldn't.  There  is  an  old  adage  which  says  : 
"  There  are  none  so  blind  as  those  who  won't  see." 

Be  that  as  it  may,  it  was  left  to  the  pioneers  of  1874  to 
relieve  the  public  mind  from  the  uncertainty  into  which  it 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  17 

was  thrown  by  these  conflicting  reports,  and  to  prove  ta 
them  beyond  any  doubt  the  existence  of  the  precious  metal 
in  which  the  people  of  the  country  were,  at  the  time,  more 
deeply  interested  than  in  any  other  question.  In  this 
state  of  uncertainty  they  awaited,  with  no  little  anxiety,  a 
report  from  the  pioneers  who  were  already  on  their  peril- 
ous way  before  the  final  reports  of  the  Custer  expedition 
were  made  public. 

GOLD  FOUND  BY  THE  INDIANS. 

Such  of  my  readers  as  are  familiar  with  the  history  of 
the  early  missionaries  among  the  Indians,  will  doubtless 
remember  the  stories  told  of  the  wonderfully  rich  speci- 
mens of  gold,  platinum  and  other  precious  metals  shown 
by  the  Indians  at  the  mission,  and  who,  when  asked  where 
they  were  found,  would  always  point  in  the  direction  of 
the  Black  Hills,  but  would  never  consent  to  conduct  any 
white  person  to  the  place,  they  having  doubtless  been 
warned  against  the  cupidity  of  the  whites  by  their  friends^ 
the  missionaries.  In  view  of  the  recent  rich  discoveries 
in  the  Hills  it  is  quite  safe  to  believe  that  right  in  or  near 
the  Black  Hills,  those  wonderful  specimens  were  found. 

DE    SMET    EXPLAINS    THE    USE    OF    A     GUN     TO     THE     INDIANS. 

The  subjoined  story  has  been  handed  down  from  those 
missionary  days,  which  the  writer  is  sufficiently  credulous 
to  believe.  In  substance  the  story  runs  thus:  "  De  Smet, 
in  one  of  his  trips  among  the  Sioux  Indians,  before 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  promised  a  Sioux 
chief  a  present  of  a  pistol,  the  use  of  which  he  had  been 
at  some  trouble  to  explain.  Accordingly  he  procured 
a  horse  pistol  at  one  of  the  fur  companies'  trading 
posts,  some  powder,  and  caps.  On  his  return  to  the 
home  of  the  chief  he  redeemed  his  promise,  purposely 
neglecting  to  bring  any  bullets.  The  chief  overcame  the 
difficulty  by  going  away  and  returning  after  a  brief  absence 

2 


18  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

with  a  handful  of  yellow  metal  nuggets,  which  he  requested 
be  melted  into  bullets.  The  missionary,  finding  that  the 
nuggets  were  gold,  cautioned  the  Indians  against  making 
known  the  existence  of  gold  in  their  country,  as  the  '  pale 
faces  '  ^yould  undergo  untold  hardships  to  possess  it." 

So,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  region  of  the  Black  Hills  and 
westward  of  them  was  renowned,  in  the  legends  of  the 
Indians,  for  their  precious  metals,  and  judging  from  the 
rich  specimens  obtained  by  the  Jesuit  Missionaries,  this 
country  will  prove  something  more  than  a  mere  glittering 
generality. 

ORGANIZATION    OF    FIRST    EXPEDITION. 

Upon  the  return  of  the  Custer  exploring  expedition  in 
the  summer  of  1874,  Collins  and  Russell,  deeming  the  time 
auspicious  for  such  a  movement,  renewed  their  efforts  to 
organize  a  Black  Hills  Expedition.  In  furtherance  of  the 
scheme  they  proceeded  at  once  to  Chicago,  opened  an  office 
on  Clark  street,  and  began  the  work  of  drawing  in  recruits. 
Their  efforts  were  being  rapidly  crystallized  by  the  enroll- 
ment of  numerous  members,  but  the  publicity  given  the 
enterprise  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  Gen.  Sheri- 
dan—  then  stationed  at  Chicago,  who  immediately  issued 
orders  to  the  commanders  of  the  frontier  posts,  similar  to 
the  one  issued  by  Gen.  Hancock  two  years  before,  which 
again  dealt  a  vital  blow  to  the  project. 

Apparently  abandoning  the  enterprise,  they  gave  up 
their  office  in  Chicago  and  returned  to  Sioux  City,  where 
the  following  dispatch  was  sent  to  the  Associated  Press  by 
Chas.  S.  Soule:  "In  view  of  the  recent  order  of  Gen. 
Sheridan,  the  Collins  &  Russell  expedition  has  been  aban- 
doned for  the  present."  This  dispatch  was  merely  a  blind 
to  put  the  military  authorities  off  their  guard,  for  right 
upon  its  heels,  hundreds  of  letters  marked  "  confidential" 
were  mailed  from  the  Times  office,  in  reply  to  those  asking 
for  information  in  reference  to  the  expedition  —  stating 
that  the  dispatch  promulgated  was  a  blind;   that  the  expe- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAlvOTAHS. 


19 


dition  was  a  foregone  conclusion  ;  and  also,  cautioning  all 
who  contemplated  going  to  keep  their  own  counsel  and 
make  known  their  intentions  only  at  the  Times  Office. 

How  many  of  those  numerous  correspondents  reported 
at  headquarters  has  not  been  ascertained,  but  it  is  a  well- 
known  fact  that  despite  the  gigantic  efforts  of  those  indefa- 
tigable workers,  the  expedition,  in  point  of  numbers,  did 
not  materialize  to  any  great  extent,  as  only  twenty-six  men, 
all  told,  had  the  hardihood  to  dety  the  authorities  and 
undertake  the  perilous  journey.  These  few  got  together, 
made  their  secret  arrangements,  purchased  their  supplies 
and  equipments —  paying  for  them  in  cold  cash  out  of  their 
individual  pockets,  as  far  as  knovvn  —  and  launched  secretly 
out  for  the  Black  Hills  without  exciting  the  slightest  sus- 
picion  on  the  part  of  the  Government  officials  or  creating 
a  single  ripple  on  the  surface  of  affairs  in  the  pioneer 
outfitting  city. 

This  first  expedition  to  the  Black  Hills  has  been  called 
by  some  the  Gordon  expedition,  in  honor  of  John  Gordon, 
the  leader  of  the  expedition  on  its  journey  into  the  Hills. 

This  appellation,  however,  appears  to  be  a  misnomer,  as 
it  cannot  be  ascertained  that  the  guide  of  the  expedition 
was  in  any  direct  way  sponsor  for  its  organization. 

It  appears  from  reliable  data  obtained,  that  Collins  and 
Russell,  by  virtue  of  their  mutual  eflbrts  to  effect  an  or- 
ganization in  conjunction  with  other  prominent  citizens  of 
Sioux  City,  as  before  recorded,  are  rightfully  entitled  to 
that  distinction.  Therefore,  by  that  token,  the  first  expe- 
dition will  be  recorded  on  the  pages  of  this  history  as  the 
Collins-Russell  Expedition. 


20  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


CHAPTER    III. 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  JOURNEY. 

The  following  account  of  the  secret  preparations  for  and 
the  journe}'  of  the  expedition  over  the  plains  to  the  Black 
Hills,  with  incidents  of  the  trip,  partakes  somewhat  of  the 
nature  of  historical  narration,  rather  than  a  bare  record  of 
facts,  which  it  is  hoped  may  render  the  reading  thereof 
less  tiresome. 

Sioux  City,  the  scene  of  the  first  movement  for  the 
invasion  of  the  Sioux  domain,  was,  at  the  time  of  the  open- 
ing of  this  story,  an  enterprising  and  rapidly  growing 
young  city,  not  far  back  from  the  threshold  of  the  then 
Western  frontier  —  an  admirable  outfitting  point  for  the 
unsettled  regions  to  the  Westward,  and  favorably  located 
geographically  for  carrying  out  the  enterprise  of  its  bold 
projectors,  who  were  then  projecting  the  secret  arrange- 
ments for  the  perilous  journey. 

Almost  any  day  during  the  latter  part  of  September,  1874, 
there  might  have  been  seen  small  groups  of  determined 
looking:  men  standing  on  the  street  corners,  or  in  the  hotel 
lobbies  —  engaged  in  earnest  discussion  of  some  apparently 
absorbing  topic  —  an  occurrence  common  enough  in  any 
well  regulated  city;  the  only  thing  remarkable  about  these 
gatherings  being  that  their  personnel  was  always  the  same, 
and  whenever  closely  approached  they  would  immediately 
disperse,  a  circumstance  which  might  have  led  a  critical 
observer  to  suspect  them  of  some  dark  conspiracy,  and  if 
any  curiously  inclined  person  had  felt  disposed  to  follow 
their  movements,  when  the  shadows  began  to  fall,  they 
might    perhaps    have    been  found  at    some    pre-appointed 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAH8.  21 

place  in  secret  conference  behind  closed  doors.  Stranf^ers 
they  were,  for  the  most  part,  who  had  gathered  there, 
from  widely  separated  localities — extending  from  the 
northern  lakes  to  the  southern  gulf — drawn  thither  by 
the  current  rumors  that  an  expedition  was  about  to  leave 
that  convenient  point  for  the  Black  Hills. 

Bright,  crisp  October  comes,  and  if  we  board  a  ferry 
boat  and  cross  over  to  the  west  bank  of  the  treacherous 
Missouri  river  with  its  numerous  snags  and  shifting  sands, 
we  will  find  our  little  party  of  Black  Hills  adventurers 
rendezvoused  in  a  grove  near  by  a  small  village  named  Cov- 
ington, making  active  but  quiet  preparations  for  break- 
ing camp,  and,  strangely  enough,  with  them  a  woman  and 
small  boy  —  the  former  none  other  than  the  author  of  this 
story.  Speculation  was  rife  around  the  little  community, 
and  many  questions  were  asked  as  to  the  destination  of  the 
outfit,  but  the  men  were  absolutely  non-committal,  and  it 
was  then  demonstrated  that  a  woman  too,  can  sometimes 
keep  a  secret.  The  necessity  for  secrecy  becomes  obvious 
when  it  is  known  that  the  movement  was  in  direct  viola- 
tion of  the  express  orders  of  the  United  States  government, 
whose  vigilance  the  expedition  hoped  to  escape. 

Preparations  for  the  journey  were  soon  completed. 
Tents  were  hurriedly  taken  down,  carefully  folded,  and 
with  their  poles  strapped  to  the  sides  of  the  respective 
wagon  boxes ;  bright,  new  cooking  utensils,  coffee  pots 
and  frying  pans  predominating,  were  fastened  in  artistic 
array  along  the  outside  wherever  convenience  and  taste 
dictated.  The  inevitable  water  buckets  were  suspended 
from  the  wngon  reaches  underneath,  and  last  but  by  no 
means  least  the  "grub  boxes,"  were  lifted  to  their  places 
at  the  rear,  where  they  were  held  in  place  by  an  arrange- 
ment similar  to  that  employed  for  the  baggage  of  passen- 
gers on  the  early  stage  coaches,  when  everything  was  in 
readiness  for  moving. 

In  the  afternoon  of  that  memorable  day  of  October  6th, 


22  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

1874,  the  first  expedition  to  the  Black  Hills  cut  loose  its 
prairie  craft  from  its  moorings  on  the  banks  of  the  "  Rig 
Muddy,"  and  followed  the  "  Star  of  Empire,"  westward 
right  through  the  heart  of  the  .Sioux  reserve.  As  the  train 
filed  out  of  camp  on  that  October  day  —  the  new  wagons, 
whose  white  covers  bore  a  "  strange  device,"  gleaming 
brightly  in  the  afternoon  suii,  in  the  lead,  the  horsemen 
on  the  flanks,  the  pedestrians  —  among  whom  I  tripped 
jauntily  along  in  the  rear  —  it  must  have  presented  an 
imposing  pageant  to  the  very  few  observers. 

The  expedition,  in  its  entirety,  was  composed  of  twenty- 
six  men,  one  woman,  and  a  boy,  six  canvas-covered 
wagons,  each  drawn  by  two  pairs  of  fat,  sleek,  and  a  few 
of  them  soniewhat  frisky  cattle  —  by  the  way,  they  were 
neither  so  fat  nor  sleek,  and  not  in  the  least  frisky  at  the 
end  of  the  journey.  There  were  also  five  saddle  horses, 
and  two  beautiful  gre\diounds,  whose  frequent  frantic 
chases  after  the  poor  timid  antelope  and  rabbit,  proved  the 
source  of  much  diversion  to  the  expedition  on  its  long, 
monotonous  march  across  the  bleak,  treeless  plains.  Those 
long-limbed,  pointed-nosed,  fleet  hounds  —  named,  respec- 
tively, Dan  and  Fan,  were  noble  specimens  of  their  kind,  of 
indisputable  lineage,  and  the  pets  of  the  entire  party. 

When  a  few  miles  out  from  the  starting  point,  the  train 
halted  for  the  night,  when  the  question,  as  to  who  should 
lead  the  expedition,  and  pilot  the  piratical  craft  safely  to 
its  destination,  came  up  for  consideration.  After  some 
lively  canvassing,  as  to  the  best  man  to  intrust  with  so  im- 
portant an  undertaking,  the  choice  finally  fell  upon  John 
Gordon,  who,  claiming  to  have  traveled  over  the  country 
as  far  as  the  foot-hills,  several  years  before,  was  deemed 
the  best  fitted,  by  virtue  of  such  knowledge  of  the  route, 
to  be  our  guide  and  leader. 

However,  the  expedition  had  not  proceeded  far  on  the 
journey  beyond  the  line  of  public  travel  before  it  became 
apparent  that  our  guide's  knowledge  of  the  geography  of 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    TIIK    DAKOTAIIS.  23 

the  country  was,  to  say  the  least,  somewhat  vague  and  un- 
certain. He  had,  doubtless,  penetrated  the  country  over 
government  roads,  used  for  the  transportation  of  supplies 
for  the  military  posts  to  the  west  of  the  Black  Hills,  but 
not,  it  was  thought,  in  the  direction  of  the  objective  point 
of  the  expedition.  Be  that  as  it  muy  the  train  was  enabled 
by  the  aid  of  a  small  pocket  compass,  carried  by  Lyman 
Lamb,  who  took  daily  bearings,  to  keep  the  general  direc- 
tion, and,  although  the  train  may  have  traversed  a  good 
deal  of  unnecessary  territory,  our  leader  was  indefatigable 
in  his  efforts  to  find  the  most  practicable  ground  over  which 
to  travel,  and  finally  landed  the  expedition  safely  —  though 
somewhat  the  worse  for  wear,  in  the  Black  Hills.  It  was 
his  daily  custom  to  ride  out  every  morning  in  advance  of 
the  train  to  mark  out  the  line  of  march  for  the  day,  by 
virtue  of  which  he  was  entitled  to  unbounded  credit. 

The  expedition  was  splendidly  equipped  with  munitions 
for  its  defense  —  each  man  having  provided  himself  with 
the  most  approved  Winchester  rifie,  besides  small  arms, 
and  sufficient  ammunition  to  last  by  economy  for  a  period 
of  eight  months.  Fidelity  to  history  compels  me  to  record, 
however,  that  at  divers  times,  some  of  our  men  indulged 
in  the  careless  pastime  of  firing  their  precious  cartridges 
at  tarfjets,  on  which  occasions  I  had  orrave  misojivings  as 
to  whether  there  would  be  any  left  to  kill  Indians  with  in 
case  it  became  necessary.  At  times  I  was  strongly  tempted 
to  expostulate  with  them  on  their  thoughtless  waste  of 
ammunition,  but  I  quickly  controlled  that  inclination,  con- 
cluding that,  perhaps,  they  knew  their  own  business  —  at 
least  they  might  think  they  did  and  take  occasion  to  remind 
me  of  that  fact.  I  did,  however,  venture  to  approach  them 
timidly  one  day  when  I  thought  them  uncommonly  reck- 
less, and  say  solemnly  :  "  Boys,  don't  you  think  you  will 
need  all  this  ammunition  that  you  are  virtually  throwing 
away  when  we  get  out  among  the  Indians?"  "  Oh,  shoot 
the    Indians,"    answered    one    of   the    boys,    irreverently. 


24  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Now,  deeming  this  a  potent  unci  convincing  argument 
against  the  position  I  had  assumed,  and  plainly  significant, 
I  meekly  yielded  the  point  and  referred  no  more  to  the 
subject. 

Our  wagons  were  packed  to  the  guards  with  sundry  pro- 
visions, chiefly  flour,  bacon,  beans,  also  sugar,  coflee,  a 
modicum  of  tea,  a  limited  quantity  of  canned  goods,  butter, 
etc.  It  was  estimated  that  our  supply  of  the  staple  articles 
was  sufiicient  to  last,  at  least,  eight  months,  and,  as  the 
owners  of  each  outfit  purchased  their  own  sup[)lies,  the 
luxuries  were  more  or  less  abundant,  according  to  the 
purses  of  the  purchasers. 

Besides  the  supply  of  munitions  and  provisions,  we  were 
provided  with  all  the  necessary  paraphernalia  for  camping, 
mechanics'  tools,  and,  to  complete  the  outfit,  with  picks, 
shovels,  and  gold  pans. 

Let  it  l)e  understood  that  the  members  of  the  expedition, 
while  arranging  for  the  journey,  had  been  divided  into  what 
is  called,  in  army  parlance,  messes,  a  kind  of  copartnership 
being  entered  into,  the  respective  partners  pooling  their 
resources  tor  the  purchase  of  supplies  and  other  property 
necessary  for  transportation,  with  the  understanding  that,  at 
dissolution,  the  assets  be  equally  divided  among  the  partners. 

The  grouping  was  as  follows:  No.  1  being  composed 
•of  Capt.  Tom  Russell,  Lyman  Lamb,  Eaf.  Witcher,  and 
Angus  McDonald.  No.  2,  B.  B.  Logan,  Dan  McDonald, 
or  Red  Dan,  Dan  McDonald,  or  Black  Dan  (the  last  two, 
bearing  the  same  patronymic,  were  distinguished  by  the 
color  of  the  shirts  they  invariably  wore),  James  Dempster, 
James  Powers,  J.  J.  Williams,  and  Thomas  Quiner.  3d, 
John  Gordon,  J.  W.  Brockett,  Newton  Warren,  H.  Bishop, 
Chas.  Long,  Chas.  Cordeiro  and  Moses  Aarons.  4th,  R. 
R.  Whitney,  Harry  Cooper,  David  Aken,  and  John  Boyle. 
5th,  Chas.  Blackwell,  Thos.  McLaren,  Henry  Thomas,  D. 
G.  Tallent,  Annie  D.  Tallent,  and  Robt.  E.  Tallent,  then  a 
Jaoy  nine  years  of  age,  making  twenty-eight  in  all. 


a       03 


H  2; 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  25 

Now  that  we  had  got  safely  away  from  Sioux  City,  the 
problem  was  how  to  escape  suspicion.  So  on  the  canvas 
covers  of  the  wagons  was  painted,  in  large,  red  letters, 
"O'Neill's  Colony;"  intended  as  a  misleading  device, 
which,  however,  turned  out  to  be  a  rather  transparent  one, 
as  very  few  seemed  to  be  deceived  thereby. 

The  people  of  the  small  towns  through  which  we  passed, 
along  the  route,  regarded  our  train  with  a  good  deal  of 
justifiable  curiosity,  and  our  ears  were  frequently  greeted 
with  such  questions  as:  "  Hullo,  where  are  you  going?  " 
"  Where  are  you  bound  for,  strangers?  " 

For  answer  their  attention  was  usually  called  to  the 
painted  words  on  the  canvas. 

"  Oh,  you  can't  fool  me  ;  "  "  What  are  you  giving  us?  " 
and  other  localisms  would  be  heard  in  reply. 

If  they  had  only  been  permitted  to  have  taken  a  look 
into  the  hidden  recesses  of  our  wagons,  and  discovered 
the  aforesaid  picks,  shovels,  and  gold  pans,  their  evident 
suspicions  would  have  been  amply  verified.  No  doubt 
vague  rumors  had  reached  those  people  in  advance  that  an 
expedition  was  on  its  way  to  the  Black  Hills,  in  reference 
to  which  the  subjoined  extracts  from  Nebraska  newspapers 
will  show  the  trend  of  public  opinion. 

SIOUX    CITY    GOLD    HUNTERS. 

The  West  Point  Republican  says  the  following  extract 
from  the  Oakdale  Journal  refers  to  the  Sioux  City  party 
under  Capt.  Russell,  a  well-known  and  reliable  frontiers- 
man, and  adds;  "  Although  attempting  a  dangerous  task, 
we  apprehend  that  every  man  fully  realizes  the  situation 
and  is  prepared  to  face  death  at  any  moment." 

Here  is  what  the  Oakdale  paper  says :  — 

"  We  were  misinformed  last  week  in  regard  to  the  des- 
tination of  the  supposed  emigrant  party  which  passed  up 
the  valley  recently.     Instead  of  being  sturdy  sons  of  toil 


26  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OR, 

destined,  in  the  future,  to  delve  in  the  rich  soil  of  Holt 
County,  their  destination  was  the  Eldorado  of  the  North- 
west—  the  coveted  gold  fields  of  the  Black  Hills.  They 
were  resolute,  determined  looking  fellows,  and  one 
scarcely  knows  which  to  do  first —  admire  their  courage  or 
condemn  their  judgment  in  thus  venturing  into  an  Indian 
country  in  the  present  temper  of  the  red  men.  That  they 
will  have  to  fight  their  way  inch  by  inch,  across  the  Sioux 
territory,  is  a  fact  patent  to  every  one  conversant  with  the 
facts  in  the  case. 

"  We  fear  they  have  counted  without  their  host,  for  they 
go  into  a  country  where  dwell  Indians  enough  to  surround 
their  little  party  a  hundred  deep.  If  they  are  captured 
they  have  no  reason  to  expect  mere}'  at  the  hands  of  the 
relentless,  bloody  Sioux." 

Until  we  had  left  the  last  vestige  of  civiliztition  behind 
us,  each  day  of  our  journey  was  very  much  like  the  pre- 
ceding one,  the  same  routine  of  camp  duties  to  perform, 
such  as  pitching  tents,  gathering  wood,  building  fires,  over 
which  our  evening  meals  were  cooked  at  night,  and  taking 
down  and  folding  tents,  preparing  our  hasty  breakfast  just 
as  the  autumn  days  began  to  dawn.  Each  member  of  the 
party  was  required  to  serve  his  turn  in  the  performance 
of  all  camp  duties,  which  was  really  no  hardship  at  that 
stage  of  journey,  as  no  night  patrol  to  guard  the  camp  was 
necessary. 

Our  train  traveled  r.ather  slowly,  each  day  covering  an 
average  distance  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles,  not  a  bad 
record,  when  it  is  considered  that  cattle  are  not  noted  for 
their  speed. 

Spots,  well  supplied  with  wood  and  water,  and  favorable 
for  grazing,  were  selected  for  camping  grounds,  usually 
by  some  one  sent  out  in  advance  for  that  purpose.  At 
night,  upon  ariving  at  the  ground  selected,  no  time  was 
lost,  each  man  proceeded  with  alacrity  in  the  perform- 
ance   of   the    duties   falling  to   his   share.      Supper   being 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    TIIK    DAKOTAHS.  27 

disposed  of  and  the  remnants  gathered  up  —  not  even  one 
very  small  basketful  —  a  couple  of  hours  were  then  spent 
in  telling  stories  and  singing  songs,  and,  by  the  way,  there 
were  some  capital  story-tellers  in  our  party,  and  a  few 
exceptionally  tine  singers  —  notably,  young  Harry  Cooper, 
whose  rich  tenor  voice,  as  it  doated  out  on  the  still  night 
air,  made  one  think  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 

The  only  drawback  to  the  enjoyment  was,  that  by  the 
rules  adopted  I  was  required  to  furnish  my  share  of  the 
entertainment  by  singing  a  song  or  telling  a  story.  Story- 
telling being  more  in  my  line,  I  would  sometimes  rehearse 
a  tale  calculated  to  "  harrow  up  the  soul,  freeze  the  young 
blood,"  etc.  —  usually  one  in  which  tomahawks  and  scalp- 
ing-knives  conspicuously  figured.  At  the  close  of  these 
outdoor  musicals  all  would  retire  to  their  tents  to  sleep  — 
perchance  to  dream  of  home  or  "  the  girls  they  left  behind 
them." 

I  must  confess  here  that  I  really  enjoyed  those  social 
hours  spent  around  the  smouldering  camp-tire  after  our  days' 
journeys  were  ended.  Yes,  it  was  truly  glorious  out  under 
heaven's  dark  canopy,  with  its  myriads  of  bright  stars 
twinkling  lovingly  down  upon  us  like  a  very  benediction  — 
more  especially  so  in  that  we  realized  that  we  were  soon  to 
become  trespassers  and  outlaws  without  the  pale  of  civili- 
zation. 

THE    FIRST    DEFECTION. 

Soon  after  we  left  the  little  village  of  Norfolk  behind, 
and  were  slowly  nearing  the  last  settlement,  one  of  the 
members  of  our  expedition  became  suddenly  very  ill  —  so 
alarmingly  sick  that  he  felt  it  necessary  to  at  once  sever 
his  connection  with  the  enterprise,  of  which  he  had  been 
one  of  the  chief  promoters,  and  speedily  return  to  Sioux 
City.  Now,  I  was  uncharitable  enough  to  think,  at  the 
time,  that  the  poor  fellow  just  became  "  awfully  "  home- 
sick, ^.n^\  my    opinion    has    not  materially  changed  since 


28  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

then.  As  it  is  not  essential  to  this  history,  and  for  fear 
that  I  may  have  done  him  a  mental  injustice,  his  name  shall 
be  withheld.  Yet,  after  all,  there  perhaps  was  not  one  of 
us  who  did  not  experience  occasional  twinges  of  homesick- 
ness as  we  approached  the  danger  line,  and  visions  of 
exposure,  hardships,  sickness,  and  even  death  rose  up  be- 
fore us,  and  the  fierce  warwhoop  of  the  Sioux  was  already 
ringing  in  our  ears.  The  outlook  was  by  no  means  allur- 
ing, and  one  could  scarcely  be  blamed  for  turning  his  back 
upon  such  a  prospect.  Besides,  it  is  certainly  no  discredit 
to  be  homesick,  but  rather  a  proof  that  in  all  the  wide 
world  there  is  no  place    like  home. 

This  defection  left  the  expedition  with  only  twenty-five 
men  to  face  the  perils  of  the  journey  over  the  plains. 
However,  we  were  in  a  measure  compensated  for  our  loss 
by  a  valuable  addition  to  our  number,  soon  after. 

A  little  later,  one  of  our  members,  whom  for  prudential 
reasons  we  shall  designate  as  Mr.  A.,  incidentally  came 
across  a  man  who  was  the  owner  of  a  very  diminutive 
donkey,  which  he  was  anxious  to  sell — otfering  him  at 
what  he  represented  as  a  great  bargain.  Mr.  A.,  being 
of  a  speculative  turn  of  mind,  and  thinking  -that  he 
knew  a  good  thing  when  he  saw  it,  after  carefully  diag- 
nosing his  small  anatom}^  purchased  the  little  equine 
for  a  reasonable  consideration.  After  a  critical  examina- 
tion of  the  property  I  mentally  decided,  without  prejudice, 
that  the  expedition  had  lost  but  little  by  the  exchange, 
and,  in  behalf  of  the  donkey,  I  will  say  that  only  on  two' 
or  three  occasions  had  we  reason  to  be  sorry  that  he  joined 
the  expedition. 

However,  when  it  was  afterwards  seen  what  prodigious 
burdens  were  loaded  upon  the  docile  little  creature,  and  the 
way  he  was  yanked  about  by  the  bits  —  emphasized  by  an 
occasional  vigorous  kick,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
poor  little  beast  had  indeed  fallen  into  rather  hard  lines. 
Ah,  me,  many  were  the  wordy  combats  I  had  with  the  pur- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  29 

chaser  on  account  of  what  1  deemed  cruelty  to  amimals  — 
in  which,  much  to  ray  discomforture,  I  always  came  out 
second  best.  I  was  on  safe  ground  from  a  moral  stand- 
point, but  as  he  was  the  owner  of  the  property  he  had  a 
decided  practical  advantage.  I  was  reminded  one  day  dur- 
ins:  active  hostilities,  that  the  donkey  was  his  and  that  he 
felt  at  liberty  to  kick  him  whenever  he  was  in  a  kicking 
mood  without  asking  leave  of  any  one. 

It  is  highly  amusing  now  to  recall  these  exciting  pas- 
sages on  the  journey  over  the  plains  —  and  all  on  account 
of  a  donkey. 

It  is  quite  remarkable  now  how  a  trip  over  the  plains, 
with  all  its  trying  discomforts,  brings  to  the  surface  the 
most  unlovely  elements  of  a  man's  character,  or  a  woman's 
either  for  that  matter. 

Now  don't  let  anyone  be  led  into  the  belief  that  our 
comrade  was  a  monster  of  cruelty  —  far  from  it.  On  the 
other  hand,  he  vvas  one  of  the  kindest  and  best  fellows  in 
the  outfit.  He  merely  wanted  to  demonstrate  to  the  some- 
times headstrong  little  creature,  that  he  was  master,  and 
felt  compelled  to  resort  to  heroic  methods  to  convince  him 
of  the  fact. 

We  had  now  arrived  at  our  ostensible  destination,  O'Neill 
settlement,  on  the  western  verge,  while  really,  our  journey 
had  but  just  begun.  All  the  exposure,  the  hardships,  and 
dangers  had  yet  to  be  encountered.  As  there  no  longer 
seemed  to  be  any  great  necessity  for  secrecy,  our  plans  and 
objects  were  prettv  freely  discussed  with  the  few  settlers 
at  this  point,  with  the  understanding,  however,  that  no 
information  be  given  regarding  our  movements. 

The  people  looked  upon  our  undertaking  as  foolhardy  in 
the  extreme,  and  used  all  their  native  eloquence  in  trying 
to  persuade  me,  at  least,  to  change  my  mind  and  return 
before  it  was  too  late.  But  all  their  well-meant  advice 
went  for  naught. 

Did  I  ever  feel  tempted  to  turn  back?     No,  not  at  this 


30  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

stage  of  our  journey,  but  later  on,  when  trouble  and  mis- 
fortune seemed  to  gather  darkly  over  us,  when  the  pitiless 
storms  of  winter  overtook  us,  when  sickness  and  death 
entered  our  midst,  and  bore  away  one  of  our  little  band  — 
then,  ah,  yes,  I  would  have  hailed  with  glad  thankfulness 
any  opportunity  to  return  to  the  comforts  and  safety,  of 
home,  but  no  such  opportunity  was  likely  to  occur. 

Turning  back,  after  we  had  penetrated  the  hostile  coun- 
try, was  altogether  out  of  the  question,  even  if  such  a 
course  had  been  permitted,  as  the  exposure  and  danger 
of  a  backward  journey  would  have  been  as  great,  if  not 
even  greater,  than  to  advance,  so  the  only  way  was  to  keep 
together  and  press  resolutely  on  to  the  end. 

After  a  day  spent  in  the  O'Neill  settlement  for  rest,  our 
journey  westward  was  resumed,  and  I  now  recall,  how 
utterly  horrified  those  kind  people  looked  as  our  train 
pulled  out  of  camp. 

They  assured  us  that  we  were  rushing  headlong  right 
into  the  jaws  of  tleath,  and  to  be  candid  I  was  much  of  the 
same  opinion,  yet  we  were  not  disposed  to  profit  by  their 
well-meant  advice. 

When  about  two  days  out  from  the  last  settlement,  we 
were  met  by  a  party  of  United  States  surveyors  who  had 
been  seut  out  to  establish  the  Nebraska  State  line,  but  who, 
on  account  of  the  Indians,  were  forced  to  return  without 
fully  completing  the  work.  They  urged  us  not  to  proceed 
on  our  journey,  saying  that  the  Sioux  had  on  their  war 
paint  and  feathers,  and  in  no  mood  to  permit  white  men  to 
enter  their  domain.  The  expedition  was  not  to  be  intimi- 
dated, but,  despite  all  warnings  to  the  contrary,  and  fully 
conscious  of  the  perils  ahead,  proceeded  along  the  valley 
of  the  Elkhorn  river,  about  on  the  line  now  occupied  by 
the  N.  W.  &  M.  V.  R.  R.  to  a  point  about  half  way 
between  O'Neill  and  Long  Pine,  not  far  from  old  Fort 
Niobrara,  where  our  train  diverged  to  the  right,  then  trav- 
eling in  a  northwesterly  direction  to  the  Niobrara  river, 
which  was  reached  on  the  31st  dav  of  October. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


31 


Three  weeks  had  now  elapsed  since  leaving  camp  on  the 
bank  of  the  Mississippi  river,  yet  only  a  very  small  part  of 
our  journey  had  been  accomplished. 

The  novelty,  as  well  as  the  poetry  of  the  trip,  had  by 
this  time  entirely  worn  off,  and  had  instead  become  pain- 
fully realistic  and  prosaic.  A  few  of  our  number  would 
have  willingly  turned  their  backs  on  the  promised  land  and 
returned  had  it  been  possible.  Our  stock  had  already 
begun  to   show  the  effects  of  their  Ions:  march. 


32  THE    BLACK    HILLS  *,    OR, 


CHAPTER     IV. 

"CROSSING  THE  NIOBRARA." 

At  this  point  the  expedition  encountered  the  first  real 
diflSculty  of  the  journey.  It  was  found  that  ice  had  already 
formed  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  while  in  the  middle  of 
the  stream  the  current  was  very  swift.  The  bed  of  the 
channel  was  covered  with  quicksand  and  very  treacherous, 
hence  any  attempt  to  ford  the  river  at  that  time  seemed 
like  a  hazardous  undertaking.  After  a  brief  consultation 
on  the  difficulties  of  the  situation,  it  was  decided  to  halt, 
and  remain  for  a  few  days  to  give  the  stock  time  to  feed 
and  recuperate,  or,  until,  by  the  melting  of  the  ice  on  the 
edge  of  the  stream,  the  crossing  might  be  safely  effected. 
We  were  astir  at  dawn  on  the  following  morning,  and 
found,  much  to  our  satisfaction,  that  the  ice,  the  result  of 
a  higher  temperature,  was  fast  losing  its  hold  upon  the 
banks,  and,  piece  by  piece,  floating  swiftly  down  with  the 
current. 

During:  the  halt  several  of  our  men  started  out  to  make  a 
reconnoissance  of  the  country  ahead  of  us  as  fur  as  the  Fort 
Randall  road,  on  the  Keya  Paha,  to  ascertain  the  most 
practicable  route,  and  also  to  look  for  any  signs  of  the 
proximity  of  Indians,  returning  late  with  the  report  that  no 
Indians  had  been  seen. 

At  10  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  November, 
preparations  were  completed  for  crossing  the  treacherous 
stream,  and  by  noon  we  were  all  landed  safely  on  the 
opposite  side,  albeit  not  without  a  hard  struggle,  as  the 
quicksands  on  the  bed  made  it  extremely  difficult  for  the 
cattle  to  keep  their  feet,  the  shifting  sands  causing  some 
of  them  to  fall  several  times  durins;  the  crossing. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  33 

Let  it  be  understood  that  henceforth  on  our  journey,  all 
orders  from  headquarters  were  to  he  obeyed  to  the  letter, 
"  without  asking  the  reason  why  or  daring  to  make  reply." 

By  the  wa}^  have  my  readers  ever  observed  how  prone 
some  men  are,  when  vested  with  a  "  little  brief  authority," 
to  become  arbitrary  and  domineering?  I  have,  and  it  is 
enough  to  make  the  angels  weep.  Of  course,  now  that  we 
were  no  longer  under  the  protection  of  the  law,  the  neces- 
sity of  having  a  leader  became  apparent.  It  also  became 
vitally  important  that  certain  regulations  and  rules  of 
discipline  be  laid  down  and  rigidly  enforced.  All  fully 
realized  that  if  every  man  was  permitted  to  be  a  law  unto 
himself,  it  would  result  in  confusion  worse  confounded. 

From  this  point  our  march  was  continued  north  and 
west,  following  for  some  distance  the  line  of  the  Nebraska 
State  survey,  thence  in  the  same  direction  to  the  Keya 
Paha  river  and  the  Fort  Randall  Government  road. 

While  in  camp  at  this  point  a  small  detachment  of  United 
States  cavalry,  with  an  ambulance,  was  seen  passing  along 
the  road  to  the  westward  only  a  short  distance  away,  but 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  our  stock  was  scattered  all 
around,  feeding  in  plain  view,  we  were  not  discovered, 
strangely  enough.  Their  appearance  naturally  created  no 
little  excitement  in  our  midst  for  a  short  time.  I  remem- 
ber we  were  all  in  mortal  fear  lest  the  irrepressible  donkey 
might  betray  us  into  the  hands  of  the  soldiers,  it  being  his 
custom  to  indulge  in  the  pastime  of  braying  lustily  from 
the  time  he  was  set  free  from  his  burden  on  reaching 
camp,  and  all  along  through  the  silent  watches  of  the 
night,  at  short  intervals  until  the  dawn  of  the  morning, 
and,  although  he  was  Lilliputian  as  to  size,  his  braying 
was  as  loud,  sonorous  and  prolonged,  as  the  notes  of  a 
fog  horn  on  the  orreat  lakes.  However,  as  good  luck 
would  have  it,  he  did  not  bray  at  that  crisis,  at  least  not 
until  the  soldiers  were  well  out  of  hearing,  and  had  disap- 
peared from  sight  beyond  an  adjacent  hill,  when  we  again 
breathed  freely. 

3 


34  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Forsooth,  that  little  midget  of  a  donkey  was  the  source 
of  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  inexpressible  anxiety  to  us  all 
along  the  line  through  the  hostile  country  on  account  of 
that  unfortunate  habit  of  his.  While  we  all  felt  it  neces- 
sary to  walk  around  on  tip-toe,  so  to  speak,  talk  in  sub- 
dued whispers  and  extinguish  our  fires  before  dark,  he 
would  bray  away  at  his  own  sweet  will  without  let  or 
hindrance.  Finally  we  were  forced,  in  sheer  self-defense, 
to  resort  to  the  expedient  of  putting  a  muzzle  on  him  for 
several  nights  during  the  most  critical  part  of  our  journey; 
of  course,  that  had  to  be  discontinued  as  he  must  eat  if 
he  was  expected  to  carry  burdens,  besides,  we  felt  it  was 
not  quite  democratic  to  suppress  freedom  of  speech. 

We  now  began  to  realize  that  we  were  treading  on  for- 
bidden  ground  —  that  we  were  without  the  pale  of  the  law 
and  cut  off  from  communication  with  the  outside  world  — 
that  henceforth  danger  would  menace  us  from  every 
quarter. 

At  any  time  we  were  liable  to  be  met  or  overtaken  by 
roving  bands  of  Indians,  who  we  felt  sure  would  look  with 
no  favor  upon  our  aggressive  movements.  On  the  other 
hand,  we  were  still  more  afraid  of  the  authorities  we  had 
secretly  defied. 

We  were  in  constant  expectation  of  seeing  a  troop  of 
cavalry  come  upon  us  from  the  rear,  seize  our  train,  burn 
our  wagons  and  supplies,  march  us  back  in  disgrace,  and 
possibly  place  us  in  durance  vile. 

To  guard  against  such  a  contingency,  a  rather  curious 
piece  of  strategy  was  resorted  to.  Every  few  miles  our 
train  would  move  round  several  times  in  ever-increasing 
circles,  then  off  in  another  direction,  zigzagging  over  the 
ground  in  what  I  thought  a  very  peculiar  manner.  At 
first  I  was  greatly  surprised  and  somewhat  alarmed  at  these 
erratic  movements,  and  really  thought  that  the  boys  had 
suddenly  taken  leave  of  their  senses,  but  when  it  was 
explained  to  me  that  it  was  done  to  lead  possible  pursuers 
off  our   track  I  was  greatly  relieved  and  felt  assured  that 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  35 

the  heads  of  our  men  were  still  level.  In  fact,  I  regarded 
the  maneuvering  as  a  wonderfully  brilliant  conception. 

It  now  became  necessary  that  some  precautionary  meas- 
ures against  probable  Indian  depredation  should  be  adopted ; 
therefore,  a  code  of  such  rules  and  regulations  as  were 
needed  for  our  own  personal  safety  and  the  protection  of 
our  stock,  was  agreed  upon,  which  were  in  substance  as 
follows:  — 

All  camp  duties  must  be  completed,  and  fires  extinguished 
before  dusk.  No  loud  talk  or  other  unnecessary  noise  shall 
be  allowed.  All  members  of  the  expedition  owning  stock 
shall  be  required  to  perform  guard  duty  at  night — three 
to  patrol  the  outskirts  of  the  camp  until  midnight,  then 
three  others  to  take  their  places  until  morning,  or  day- 
light—  no  members  shall  be  exempt  from  guard  duty, 
except  in  cases  of  sickness. 

These  requirements  seemed  comparatively  light,  at  first, 
but,  as  the  train  advanced  into  the  Indian  country,  and  the 
storms  came,  and  the  weather  grew  colder  and  colder,  the 
thermometer  going  sometimes  to  twenty -five  or  thirty  de- 
grees below  zero,  with  no  fires  to  warm  by,  they  became  a 
terrible  hardship.  Not  a  few  murmurings  were  heard  from 
the  men  who  had  this  hard  duty  to  perform,  and  as  the 
days  went  by  and  no  trouble  came,  a  spirit  of  insubordina- 
tion began  to  manifest  itself — in  truth,  there  was  for  a 
time  some  talk  of  a  mutiny,  which  was,  however,  averted 
by  the  better  judgment  of  the  majority. 

This  standing  night  guard  was  especially  a  hardship  on 
those  who  were  compelled  to  leave  their  warm  beds,  and 
go  out  into  the  bitter  cold  at  midnight  to  patrol  their  beats 
until  the  morning.  Their  boots  became  as  hard  and  un- 
manageable as  cast  iron,  with  the  extreme  cold  and  frost, 
and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  they  succeeded  in 
pulling  them  on.  As  they  tugged,  pulled,  pounded,  and 
struggled  with  their  refractory  footwear,  I  could  hear  from 
my  comfortable  quarters  on  the  ground  floor  of  my  bed- 
room,   frequent    and    rather    forcible  ejaculations,    which 


36  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

sounded  to  me  wonderfully  like  snatches  of  a  prayer,  or 
quotations  from  the  "Litany,"  as  they  floated  in  to  me 
through  the  folds  of  my  tent.  I  suspected  at  the  time,  — 
not  without  good  valid  grounds,  however,  that  they  were 
not  intended  for  either.  I  felt  a  great  sympathy  for  the 
boys,  and  often  advised  them  to  go  to  bed  with  their  boots 
on,  but,  although  they  received  my  suggestion  with  some 
degree  of  tolerance,  my  advice  was  never  followed. 

BILL    OF    FARE    ON    THE    PLAINS. 

Perhaps  some  of  my  readers  may  like  to  know  how  we 
fared  during  our  long  journey  over  the  plains.  Well, 
until  the  settlements  were  left  behind,  we  lived  on  the  fat 
of  the  land  through  which  we  passed,  being  able  to  procure 
from  the  settlers  along  the  route  many  articles  which  we 
were  after  compelled  to  do  entirely  without. 

From  that  time  to  the  end  of  our  journey,  or  rather 
until  we  returned  to  civilization,  the  luxuries  of  milk,  eggs, 
vegetables,  etc.,  could  not,  of  course,  be  had  for  love  or 
money. 

Our  daily  "  bill  of 'fare,"  which,  in  the  absence  of  menu 
cards,  was  stereotyped  on  memory's  tablets,  consisted  of 
the  following  articles,  to  wit:  For  breakfast,  hot  biscuit, 
fried  bacon,  and  black  coffee  ;  for  dinner,  cold  biscuit,  cold 
baked  beans,  and  black  coffee  ;  for  supper,  black  coffee, 
hot  biscuit,  and  baked  beans  warmed  over.  Occasionally, 
in  lieu  of  hot  biscuits,  and  for  the  sake  of  variety,  we 
would  have  what  is  termed  in  camp  parlance,  flapjacks. 
The  men  did  the  cooking  for  the  most  part,  I,  the  while, 
seated  on  a  log  or  an  inverted  water  bucket,  watching  the 
process  through  the  smoke  of  the  camp  fire,  which,  for 
some  unexplainable  reason,  never  ceased  for  a  moment  to 
blow  directly  in  my  face,  shift  as  I  might  from  point  to 
point  of  the  compass.  I  now  recall  how  greatly  I  was  im- 
pressed with  the  dexterity  and  skill  with  which  they 
flopped  over  the  flapjacks  in  the  frying-pan.  By  some 
trick  of  legerdemain,  they  would  toss  up  the  cake  in  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  37 

air,  a  short  distance,  where  it  would  turn  a  partial  somer- 
sault, then  unfailingly  return  to  the  pan  the  other  side  up. 
After  studying  the  modus  operandi,  for  some  time  one  day, 
I  asked  permission  to  try  my  skill,  which  was  readily 
granted  by  the  cook,  who  doubtless  anticipated  a  failure. 
I  tossed  up  the  cake  as  I  had  seem  them  do,  but  much  to 
my  chagrin,  the  downcoming  was  wide  of  the  mark.  The 
cake  started  from  the  pan  all  right,  but  instead  of  keeping 
the  perpendicular,  as  by  the  laws  of  gravitation  it  should 
have  done,  it  flew  off,  at  a  tangent,  in  a  most  tantalizing 
manner,  and  fell  to  the  ground  several  feet  away  from  the 
pan,  much  to  the  amusement  of  the  bo3^s.  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  tossing  pancakes  was  not  my  forte. 

To  relieve  the  monotony  of  our  daily  fare,  our  tables  (?) 
were  quite  frequently  provided  with  game  of  various  kinds, 
such  as  elk,  deer,  antelope,  grouse,  etc.,  large  bands  of 
antelope  being  seen  almost  daily  along  the  route  over  the 
plains.  Each  outfit  had  their  own  hunters,  who  supplied, 
for  the  most  part,  their  respective  messes,  with  game,  but 
Capt.  Tom.  Russell,  who  was  the  real  "  Nimrod  "  of  the 
party,  and  a  crack  shot,  bagged  much  more  game  than  he 
needed,  which  surplus  was  distributed  among  the  camps. 
Besides  being  a  good  hunter  and  skillful  marksman,  Capt. 
Tom  Russell  ever  proved  himself  a  brave  and  chivalrous 
gentleman,  during  the  long,  trying  journey,  and  somehow 
I  always  felt  safer  when  he  was  near. 

There  were  several  others  in  the  party,  too,  who  won  the 
reputation  of  being  skilled  hunters,  and  judging  by  the 
marvelous  stories  told  of  the  great  number  of  deer,  elk, 
and  other  animals  killed,  which  could  not  be  brought  into 
camp,  they  deserved  to  stand  at  the  head  of  the  profession. 
If  there  is  anything  in  the  wide  world,  more  than  another, 
of  which  the  average  man  feels  proud,  it  is  of  the  quantity 
of  game  he  captures. 

Speaking  of  game  brings  to  mind  an  experience,  the  very 
remembrance  of  which  always  causes  an  uprising  and  revo- 
lution in  the  region  of  the  principal  organ  of  digestion. 


38  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Some  of  the  boys,  in  their  very  commendable  desire  to  pro- 
vide the  camp  with  game,  one  day  captured  an  immense 
elk,  bringing  in  the  choicest  parts  for  distribution  among 
the  different  messes,  and  judging  from  the  flavor  and 
texture  of  the  flesh  of  the  animal  it  must  have  been  a 
denizen  of  the  Hills  since  the  time  of  the  great  upheaval, 
and  to  make  a  bad  matter  worse,  our  chef  for  the  day 
conceived  the  very  reprehensible  idea  of  cooking  the  meat 
by  a  process  called  "  smothering." 

Having  a  deap-seated,  dyed-in-the-wool  antipathy  to 
smothered  meats  of  all  kinds,  1  employed  all  the  force  of 
my  native  eloquence  in  trying  to  persuade  him  to  adopt 
some  more  civilized  method  of  cooking,  but  no,  he  was 
determined  to  smother  it  or  not  cook  it  at  all,  as  by  that 
process,  he  said,  all  the  flavor  of  the  meat  would  be  re- 
tained, and  he  continued:  "If  my  way  doesn't  suit  you, 
cook  it  yourself."  Accordingly  it  was  cooked  his  way 
and  brought  to  the  table  —  the  word  table  is  here  used 
figuratively  —  and  truth  compels  me  to  admit  that  it  looked 
very  tempting,  so,  as  I  was  abnormally  hungry  that  night, 
I  conveyed  to  my  mouth,  with  a  zeal  and  alacrity  worthy 
of  a  better  cause,  an  exceedingly  generous  morsel  of  the 
meat ;  but,  oh,  ye  shades  of  my  ancestors  !  it  was  speedily 
ejected  and  then  and  there  I  pronounced  it  the  most  vil- 
lainous morsel  I  had  ever  tasted  in  all  my  checkered  career, 
and  the  cook  was  compelled  to  concur  in  that  opinion. 
"Ugh!"  although  more  than  two  decades  have  passed 
since  then,  I  can  taste  it  yet.  The  trouble,  however,  was 
more  in  the  elk  than  in  the  cooking. 

All  formality  was  thrown  to  the  winds  at  meal  time, 
each  one  helping  himself  or  herself  with  a  liberality  and 
abandon,  that  was  truly  astonishing  and,  I  might  add, 
alarming,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  our  larders  were  becom- 
ing rapidly  depleted,  and  that  we  were  completely  cut  off 
from  our  base  of  supplies.  Our  coffee  was  drank  from  tin 
cups  and  our  bacon  and  beans  eaten  from  tin  plates.  Yes, 
we    had    knives    and    forks — not  silver,  nor  even  silver- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  39 

plated,  yet  we  enjoyed  our  meals,  for  with  appetites 
whetted  with  much  exercise  and  fresh  air  we  were  always 
ravenously  hungry,  and  could  eat  bacon  and  beans  with 
the  keenest  relish. 

Strange  as  it  now  seems,  while  journeying  over  the 
plains  I  was  for  the  most  time  blessed,  or  cursed,  with  a 
voracious,  almost  insatiable  appetite  —  in  fact,  was  always 
hungry  during  my  waking  hours,  and  what  is  most  remark- 
able, none  of  the  others  were  afflicted  with  the  malady. 

At  the  outset  of  the  journey  I  had  protested  strongly 
against  the  kind  of  food  on  which  we  were  being  regaled, 
declaring  that  I  never  could  be  tempted  to  eat  such  abom- 
inable stuff,  and  prophesying  my  own  demise  from  starva- 
tion within  a  month.  Later,  however,  as  I  trudged  along 
on  foot  in  the  rear  of  the  wagon,  I  would  often,  between 
meals,  stealthily  approach  the  wagon,  surreptitiously  raise 
the  lid  of  the  "  grub  "  box  and  abstract  therefrom  a  great 
slice  of  cold  bacon  and  a  huge  flapjack  as  large  around  as 
the  periphery  of  a  man's  hat  —  and  a  sombrero  hat,  at 
that — and  devour  them  without  ever  flinching  or  exhibit- 
insf  the  slightest  disijust. 

IN    THE    HEART    OF    THE    INDIAN    COUNTRY. 

As  we  advanced  further  into  the  Indian  domain,  Capt. 
Russell  and  our  leader  Mr.  Gordon  began  to  bring  back  to 
camp  startling  reports  of  fresh  trails  discovered,  and  moc- 
casin tracks  recently  made,  giving  unmistakable  evidence 
that  the  dreaded  savages  were  not  far  away.  "  Well,  boys, 
we  are  almost  sure  to  have  a  moccasin  dance  to-night,  and 
we  must  be  prepared  to  give  the  braves  a  fitting  welcome," 
warned  the  captain.  However,  as  we  were  not  treated  to 
an  exhibition  of  their  terpsichorean  skill,  nor  molested  at 
that  time,  the  conclusion  was  reached,  that  these  fresh 
trails  were  made  by  the  Indians  returning  from  their  sum- 
mer hunt,  to  winter  quarters  at  their  various  agencies. 
All  unconscious  were  they  of  the  near  proximity  of  the 
invaders,  who,  though  brave,  were  not  insensible  to  the 


40  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

perils  which  at  the  time  surrounded  them,  and,  figuratively 
speaking,  slept  nightly,  on  their  arms,  to  be  ready  for  an 
attack  at  the  first  warning  cry  from  the  faithful  sentinels 
on  guard.  We  were  in  great  danger  of  being  discovered 
at  any  moment,  as  we  Avere  crossing  their  trails  every  day 
at  this  sttige  of  our  journey  —  and  frequently  their  camp 
fires  were  found  yet  burning, 

SICKNESS    IN    CAMP. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  settlements,  a  number  of  our 
little  party,  including  myself,  were  stricken  with  a  malady 
which  finally  culminated  in  the  death  of  one  of  our  number, 
and  in  view  of  the  exposure  and  hardships,  and  manner  of 
living,  it  seemed  a  miracle  that  more  did  not  succumb  to 
their  dreadful  effects.  Baked  beans,  hot  biscuits,  and 
alkali  water,  are  not  conducive  to  longevity. 

About  this  time  two  or  three  other  members  of  our 
expedition  began  to  show  acute  symptoms  of  home-sickness, 
viz.  :  Charles  Blackwell,  the  sickest  on  the  list;  Eaf. 
Witcher,and,  to  confess  the  truth,  I  had  had  by  this  time 
several  spasms  of  the  disease  myself,  although  I  had  reso- 
lutely refused  to  acknowledge  it.  Eaf,  however,  having  a 
good  saddle  horse,  and  therefore,  in  a  sense,  independent 
of  the  train,  determined  to  return  to  civilization  at  all 
hazards  —  which  he  felt  that  he  was  at  perfect  liberty  to  do. 

His  arrangements  were  speedily  made.  The  contents  of 
his  grip,  such  as  needles,  thread,  buttons,  pins,  etc.,  etc., 
were  divided  among  his  friends,  the  pins  falling  to  my  lot. 
He  bade  us  all  "  God  speed  "  on  our  dangerous  journey  that 
night,  as  he  was  to  start  on  his  homeward  march  before  the 
dawn  of  the  following  day.  But,  alas,  the  "  best  laid  plans 
o'  mice  and  men  aft  sans;  ajjlee."  A  council  was  called  that 
night  (I  was  never  admitted  to  their  conferences),  at  which 
a  preamble  and  resolutions,  something  like  the  following, 
were  adopted :  — 

Whereas,  we,  in  council  assembled,  have  by  sagacity  and 
shrewd   management,  succeeded  in  eluding  the  vigilance  of 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  41 

the  powers  that  be,  up  to  date  ;  and  whereas  we  believe  that 
any  direct  or  indirect  comraunication  with  the  outside  world 
would  be  dangerous  to  the  success,  and  prejudicial  to  the 
interests  of  our  expedition  ;  therefore,  be  it  resolved,  That 
no  member  of  the  expedition  shall  be  permitted  to  return 
to  civilization  which  we  all  voluntarily  left;  and,  be  it  fur- 
ther resolved.  That  any  attempt  to  return  shall  be  deemed 
treasonable  to  the  expedition,  and  that  the  offender  shall 
be  punished,  by  being  disarmed  and  placed  under  guard, 
until  the  dangerous  inclination  subsides. 

This  seemed  an  arbitrary  proceeding  in  a  democratic 
country  like  the  United  States,  where  every  man  is  guar- 
anteed the  liberty  of  going  or  coming,  according  to  the 
bent  of  his  own  inclinations,  provided  in  so  doing  he  does 
not  interfere  with  the  rights  of  others,  but,  it  must  not  be 
forgotten  that  we  were  at  the  time  a  law  unto  ourselves. 
Eaf.  made  a  vigorous  protest  against  this  high-handed 
exercise  of  power.  "  Perhaps  some  of  3'ou  think  that  I 
am  afraid  of  the  Indians;  but  I  want  you  all  to  understand 
that  I  am  no  coward,"  said  he,  "  I  am  just  heartily  sick  of 
this  whole  disagreeable  business,"  he  added.  That  no 
braver  fellow  ever  shouldered  a  Winchester  is  believed; 
that  he  possessed  a  wonderful  amount  of  pluck,  and  was 
capable  of  great  physical  endurance  is  shown  later.  Im- 
pelled by  a  spirit  of  true  democracy,  I  ventured  a  plea  for 
individual  personal  liberty,  and  got  snubbed  for  my  pains. 
The  jiowers  were  inexorable.  Eaf.  became  afterward  rec- 
onciled to  the  situation,  —  saying  to  me  one  day  a  little 
later  :  "  Well,  this  is  a  rather  unpleasant  experience,  but,  if 
you  are  able  to  endure  the  fatigue,  the  exposure,  and  all 
the  other  disagreeable  things  of  a  journey  like  this,  surely 
I  ought  not  to  complain."  "  I  believe,"  he  continued,  "  if 
you  were  not  here  we  should  become  totally  demoralized." 
Such  an  expression  was,  of  course,  very  comforting  to  me, 
as  I  had  always  felt  myself  a  great  incumbrance  to  the 
expedition. 


42  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

ALMOST    A    TRAGEDY    WITHIN    THE    FOLD. 

Shortly  after  crossing  the  South  Fork  of  the  White 
river,  an  occurrence  took  phice  which  came  very  near 
resulting  in  a  terrible  tragedy.  According  to  the  account 
given  by  one  who  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  unfortunate 
affair,  the  trouble  originated  substantially  as  follows:  — 

John  Gordon,  the  leader  of  our  party,  who,  by  some 
curious  and  illogical  process  of  reasoning  had  evolved  the 
strange  idea  that  he  owned  the  expedition  in  fee  simple 
and  in  consequence  of  this  foolish  delusion,  exercised  the 
little  brief  authority  conferred  upon  him  with  all  the  arro- 
gance of  an  autocrat,  on  the  one  side,  and  Charles  Cordeiro, 
in  whose  veins  bounded  the  hot  blood  of  a  long  line  of 
Moorish  ancestors,  and  who  was  stanch  and  true  to  the  tra- 
ditions of  his  race,  on  the  other  side,  were  the  prime 
factors  in  the  difficulty. 

The  country  through  which  we  were  traveling  at  the  time 
being  broken  and  very  rough,  Mr.  Gordon  in  his  capacity 
of  leader  had  ordered  some  work  done  along  the  line  of 
march  to  render  it  more  practicable  for  the  passage  of  our 
train. 

Mr.  Cordeiro  being  a  little  slow  in  obeying  the  mandates 
of  the  august  leader,  was  duly  reprimanded  for  his  want  of 
alacrity,  and  a  few  bitter  invectives  —  more  forcible  than 
euphonious  —  were  hurled  at  the  delinquent.  Mr.  Cordeiro 
then,  I  believe,  returned  the  compliment  by  inviting  his 
opponent  to  take  a  journey  to  the  tropical  domain  presided 
over  by  Pluto  and  his  fair  queen  Proserpine. 

Mr.  Gordon,  not  willing  to  be  outdone  in  politeness,  then 
applied  to  Mr.  Cordeiro  an  epithet  or  cognomen  not  recog- 
nized in  the  nomenclature  of  our  race,  which  naturally 
aroused  the  ire  of  the  fiery  Moor,  who  prided  himself  greatly 
on  his  ancestry,  to  such  a  white  heat  that  he  quickly  raised 
his  gun,  leveled  it  directly  at  the  heart  of  his  traducer,  and 
fired,  missing  his  mark.  Just  before  firing,  however,  he 
heard  a  cry  of:    "Hold,  don't   shoot  I  "    and  turning  his 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  43 

head  suddenly  to  see  whence  the  cry  proceeded,  he  looked 
right  into  the  muzzle  of  a  gun  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Bishop, 
one  of  Mr.  Gordon's  backers  ;  in  so  doing  his  aim  became 
unsteady,  his  gun  deflected  a  little,  hence  his  failure.  In 
endeavoring  to  extricate  his  revolver  from  his  belt,  after 
his  gun  had  missed,  he  stumbled  and  fell,  when  Mr.  Gordon 
rushed  upon  his  fallen  foe  with  drawn  knife,  and  in  his 
uncontrollable  rage  would  probably  have  finished  his 
victim  then  and  there,  had  it  not  been  for  the  prompt  and 
brave  interference  of  Lyman  Lamb,  who  opportunely 
rushed  upon  the  scene,  seized  the  hand  of  the  excited 
leader  and  wrested  the  knife  therefrom.  By  this  time 
others  of  our  party  had  gathered  around  the  scene  or 
conflict  and  insisted  that  the  disgraceful  exhibition  be 
brought  to  a  speedy  termination. 

THE    TWO    VERSIONS. 

Mr.  Cordeiro  claimed  that  Mr.  Gordon  was  advancing 
toward  him  with  his  hand  upon  his  revolver,  at  the  same 
time  saying:  "  Now,  Charley,  let's  settle  this  matter  right 
here."  Gordon,  on  the  other  hand,  alleging  that  he  did 
not  have  his  hand  on  his  revolver,  but  simply  said;  "  Now, 
Charley,  let's  have  an  understanding."  Which  version  is 
correct  is  not  known. 

Mr.  Gordon  and  his  sympathizers  were  clamorous  in  their 
demands  that  summary  punishment  be  meted  out  to  the 
offender,  but  the  level-headed  and  unprejudiced  members, 
who  were  largely  in  the  majority,  said  no  ;  and  they  would 
have  prevented  any  violence  at  the  risk  of  their  lives. 
Finally  after  a  good  deal  of  argument  pro  and  con,  the 
belligerents  consented  to  accept  terms  of  peace,  which  were, 
that  Mr.  Cordeiro  be  dispossessed  of  his  arms  for  a  period 
of  ten  days,  when  they  were  to  be  restored  in  case  of 
peaceable  behavior.  A  resolution  was  also  passed,  making 
it  a  high  crime  for  any  member  of  the  party  to  threaten 
the  life  of  any  other  member,  under  a  heavy  penalty,  the 
nature  or  extent  of  which  is  not  now  remembered,  possi- 


44  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

bly,  the  death  penalty.  The  opposing  forces  then  stacked 
their  arms,  and  sweet  peace  once  more  reigned  in  our 
midst. 

Which  was  considered  the  more  guilty  party?  Well, 
opinion  among  the  members  was  pretty  evenly  divided. 
How  many  of  us  would  be  willing  to  tamely  accept 
insult? 

Human  nature  manifests  itself  the  same  out  in  the  soli- 
tude of  the  inhospitable  prairie,  as  in  more  settled  com- 
munities, and  even  the  most  amiable  of  our  race  anywhere, 
will  scarcely  submit  to  be  trampled  upon  beyond  a  certain 
point.  And  that  point  is  where  forbearance  ceases  to  be  a 
virtue. 


s^^-^f^'SPKil 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  45 


CHAPTEli    IV. 

CROSSINQ  THE  BAD  LANDS. 

Long  before  reaching  the  White  river,  water  became 
very  scare  —  long  stretches  of  barren  arid  countrj'  were 
being  traversed,  without  finding  a  drop,  either  for  ourselves 
or  stock  —  snow  having  to  be  melted  at  times  for  both 
purposes.  Upon  reaching  the  White  river  we  were  reduced 
to  the  necessity  of  loading  one  of  our  wagons  with  blocks 
of  ice,  cut  from  the  almost  solidly  frozen  stream,  which 
was  melted  from  time  to  time  as  it  became  necessary  for 
our  own  use,  or  for  watering  our  stock. 

The  water  thus  secured  was  in  a  high  degree  offensive 
and  nauseating,  wholly  unfit  for  man  or  beast,  and  not 
until  nearly  famished  with  thirst  could  I  be  tempted  to 
drink  a  drop  of  the  vile  compound.  How  often  in  those 
trying  days  did  our  minds  wander  back  to  an  "  old  moss- 
covered  bucket,  as  it  rose  dripping  from  fondly  remem- 
bered wells."  Oh,  the  boon  of  clear,  sparkling,  cold 
water —  more  precious  by  far  than  the  nectar  of  the  gods. 

Thus  laden  with  the  unpalatable  conglomeration  of  chalk 
and  congealed  water — and  I  know  not  what  other  ingre- 
dients,  which  was  to  serve  us  for  drink  for  the  two  or  three 
days  following —  we  continued  on  our  dreary  march  across 
theMauvaises  Terres,  or  Bad  Lands,  and  language  is  inade- 
quate to  describe  the  utter  desolation  of  the  country 
through  which  we  passed.  Long  ranges  of  hills,  cut  up  by 
a  perfect  labryinth  of  ravines  or  gorges  into  all  sorts  of 
fantastic  shapes,  into  various  architectural  forms,  resem- 
bling fortresses,  castles,  and  even  small  villages,  confronted 
us  on  every  hand.  There  was  but  little  vegetation,  with 
here  and  there  a  solitary  pine  tree  to  relieve  the  barrenness 


46  THE    BLACK   HILLS  ;    OR, 

in  this  noted  paradise  of  the  scientists.  The  only  sign  of 
animal  life  to  be  seen  while  crossing  this  *'  Inferno,"  was 
a  single  mountain  sheep  that  stood  on  the  extreme  summit 
of  one  of  the  white  chalky  bluffs  to  our  right,  making  a 
wonderfully  attractive  picture  as  with  head  erect  he  sur- 
veyed in  apparent  wonderment  our  slowly  moving  train, 
doubtless  the  first  spectacle  of  the  kind  he  had  ever 
witnessed.  Was  he  sole  monarch  of  that  entire  God-for- 
saken domain?  At  any  rate  I  felt  convinced  that  no 
human  being  could  long  abide  in  such  a  place. 

Numerous  evidences  that  we  were  traveling  over  a 
region  that  had  at  some  time  in  the  dead  past  been  the 
bed  of  an  ocean  were  discovered;  pieces  of  fossil  bones, 
and  petrified  shells  of  various  kinds  and  large  size,  lay 
scattered  over  the  surface,  some  of  which  we  gathered. 
Of  course,  those  things  called  up  interesting  reflections, 
but  as  we  were  not  at  the  time  in  search  of  the  fossilized 
remains  of  animals,  large  or  small,  vertebrate  or  inverte- 
brate, that  had  existed  in  prehistoric  times,  nor  very 
scientifically  inclined,  we  paid  but  little  attention  to  those 
wonderful  deposits.  I  would  like  to  ask,  who  would  be 
scientific,  with  feverished  tongue  and  parched  lips,  and 
visions  of  the  scalping  knife  flourishing  over  their  heads? 
Besides  we  were  nearly  suffocated  with  the  alkali  dust 
that  rose  in  clouds  at  every  step  and  every  revolution  of 
the  wheels  of  our  train  —  notwithstanding  it  was  almost 
winter.  The  whole  aspect  of  this  region  of  desolation 
suggested  the  thought,  that  a  Heaven-directed  curse  had, 
at  some  time,  swept  over  the  land,  withering  and  consum- 
ing everything  in  its  path,  both  animate  and  inanimate.  It 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  region  was  seen  at  its 
worst,  being  the  time  when  all  vegetation  was  cut  down  by 
the  frost.  It  is  asserted  that,  in  many  portions  of  the  Bad 
Lands,  the  grasses  grow  quite  luxuriantly,  and  frequently 
springs  of  good  water  are  found.  We,  however,  failed  to 
find  any  such  luxury  as  a  spring  of  water  (or  water  of  any 
kind  that  was  fit  for  drink),  and  oh,  the  intolerable  thirst! 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  47 

I  would  have  been  willing  to  have  given  my  kingdom  (had 
I  one),  not  like  Richard  III.  for  a  horse,  but  for  a  single 
draught  of  the  water  that  comes  bubbling  up  from  the 
depths  of  some  cold  mountain  spring. 

A    DKATH    IN    CAMP. 

On  the  morning  before  our  train  reached  the  valley  of 
the  Bad  river  (but  I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand  why  it 
is  called  a  river,  as  there  was  not  a  drop  of  water  to  be 
found  within  a  radius  of  several  miles  of  the  valley),  the 
condition  of  our  sick  patient  became  so  serious,  that  it  was 
suggested  and  urged  by  some  of  the  more  humane  of  the 
party  that  the  train  halt  for  a  few  days,  or  until  the  suf- 
fering man  got  better.  I  think  none  of  us  realized  that  he 
would  die.  It  was  decided,  however,  that,  as  we  were  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  hostile  country,  delay  would  be  danger- 
ous and  unjustifiable,  in  that  the  lives  of  the  whole  party 
would  be  jeopardized  —  and,  it  was  argued,  that  his  bed 
could  be  so  adjusted,  that  by  traveling  slowly  he  would  suffer 
no  great  discomfort.  Accordingly,  one  of  the  wagons  was 
emptied  of  its  contents  and  a  comfortable  bed  prepared 
upon  which  the  sick  man  was  laid,  nevermore  to  rise. 

All  that  day  I  walked  along  on  foot  by  the  side  of  the 
wagon,  withthe  lono;ao;onizinoi;  wails  of  thedvino:  man  ringing 
in  my  ears;  every  cry  piercing  my  heart  like  a  two-edged 
sword,  he  begging  to  be  shot,  and  thus  relieved  from  his 
terrible  suffering.  This  thought  no  doubt  was  suggested  to 
his  mind  by  the  sight  of  a  gun  strapped  to  the  canvas 
above  his  head,  which  was  very  soon  removed.  About 
one  hour  before  arriving  at  our  camping  ground  his  cries 
ceased,  and  we  all  fervently  hoped  he  had  fallen  asleep. 
Upon  reaching  camp  and  looking  into  the  wagon  it  was 
seen  that  he,  indeed,  was  peacefully  sleeping,  the  sleep 
that  knows  no  wakening.  "  Ah,  pity  'tis,  'tis  true,"  that 
the  poor  pilgrim  had  fought  the  supreme  battle  alone,  with 
no  tender  hand  to  wipe  away  death's  gathering  teardrops, 
or  smooth  his  dying  pillow  —  but —  yes,  did  not  the  pitying 


48  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

angels   hover    above    and   around    hira,  even    'neath    that 
coarse  canvas? 

Gloom,  like  a  dark  pall,  hung  over  our  little  camp  on 
the  dreary,  lonely  prairie  that  night.  Death  was  in  our 
midst  and  every  gust  of  wind  that  blew  adown  the  valley 
seemed  laden  with  the  wails  and  groans  of  our  departed 
companion. 

I  must  record  here  that  everything  kinds  hands  could  do, 
with  the  medicines  available,  was  done  for  his  relief  and 
comfort. 

Now,  notwithstanding  the  extreme  dangers  of  the  situa- 
tion, it  became  imperative  that  we  camp  for  a  day  in  order 
that  the  last  sad  rites  be  [jcrformed  for  our  dead  comrade, 
J.  J.  Williams,  a  skilled  artisan,  and  a  genius  in  many  ways, 
taking  charge  of  the  preparations  for  the  burial. 

A  coffin  of  small  hewn  timber.s,  strongly  pinned  together 
with  wooden  pins,  was  constructed,  in  which  the  body  was 
decently  laid,  then  a  cover,  also,  of  hewn  timbers  was 
pinned  down  in  like  manner.  Surely  no  prowling  wolves 
or  coyotes  could  ever  reach  him  in  his  impregnable  bed! 
A  grave  was  then  dug  on  a  little  grassy  eminence  over- 
looking the  lonely  valley,  then  sadly  and  tenderly  his 
comrades  lowered  him  into  his  final  resting-place,  there  to 
await  the  call  of  the  last  trumpet  on  resurrection  morn. 

A  cross,  also  of  small,  smooth,  hewn  timber  was  erected 
over  his  grave.  On  the  ))edestal  of  the  cross  was  written 
the  following  inscription:  "  Died  on  the  27th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1874,  on  his  way  to  the  Black  Hills,  Moses  Aarons, 
aged  32  years.     '  May  he  rest  in  peace.'  '' 

No  audible  prayer  was  uttered;  no  funeral  dirge  was 
sung  ;  each  one  stood  reverently  with  bowed,  uncovered 
head,  around  the  grave  until  the  first  earth  fell  upon  his 
rude  cofiin,  then  turned  sadly  away.  I  would  give  much 
to  know  whether  that  solitary  grave  has  remained  undis- 
turbed, all  the  long  years  since  then. 

There  is  a  tradition  handed  down  to  us,  that  Indians 
will  never  disturb  a  grave  surmounted  by  a  cross,  as  they 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  49 

have  the  greatest  veneration  for  this  symbol  of  Christ's 
death,  — hence  the  erection  of  the  cross. 

At  3  o'clock  p.  m.  November  28th,  the  simple  ceremo- 
nies being  over,  our  train  moved  on,  leaving  our  late  com- 
panion in  that  desolate  spot,  far  from  home  and  friends, 
where  the  summer's  breeze  and  winter's  blast  would  wail 
a  perpetual  requiem  athwart  his  lone  grave. 

It  all  seemed  to  me  peculiarly  sad  at  the  time,  and  I  could 
but  look  back  with  wet  eyes  at  the  slowly  receding  cross, 
bathed  in  the  pale  light  of  a  late  November  sun,  until  it 
was  finally  hidden  from  my  view.  Ah,  how  deeply  I  felt 
impressed  with  the  inscrutable  mysteries  of  Providence  ! 
But  it  was  not  for  us  to  understand  why  a  man,  more  or 
less  accustomed  to  the  hardships  of  life,  should  be  cut  down 
in  all  the  glory  and  strength  of  his  young  manhood,  while 
a  delicate  woman,  wholly  unused  to  exposure,  or  any  of 
the  privations  and  hardships  incident  to  such  a  journey, 
should  be  given  strength  to  endure  and  overcome  all  the 
diflSculties  of  that  terrible  march. 

Truly  "  God's  ways  are  mysterious  and  past  finding 
out." 

AN   AMUSING   INCIDENT. 

It  has  been  said  that  there  is  but  a  step  from  the  sublime 
to  the  ridiculous  ;  so  likewise  there  is  but  a  step  from  the 
pathetic  to  the  ludicrous  ;  for,  right  upon  the  heels  of  the 
sad  and  impressive  scene  we  had  just  witnessed,  followed 
an  incident  which  caused  a  good  deal  of  amusement  in  our 
midst,  and  illustrated  how  very  near  laughter  and  tears  are 
together.  Mr.  Blackwell  had  the  good  fortune  of  captur- 
ing a  beautiful  silver  gray  fox,  the  skin  of  which  is  ac- 
counted of  great  value,  and  after  divesting  the  beauty  of  its 
sheeny  outer  garment  he  left  the  carcass  to  be  food  for  the 
hungry  coyotes  that  were  very  numerous  on  the  plains. 
However,  the  ravenous  beasts  came  very  near  being 
cheated  out  of  the  feast  intended  for  them,  and  by  one  of 
the  hearty  pioneers,  too,  who  innocently  supposing  the  flesh 

4 


50  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

good  for  food  lingered  behind  the  train  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  the  coveted  meat. 

Shortly  after  reaching  camp  that  night  the  donkey  was 
seen  approaching  in  the  reflected  rays  of  the  sinking  sun 
with  the  carcass  of  the  fox  standing  bolt  upright,  stiff  and 
stark  on  his  back  (frozen  solid),  and  a  more  ludicrous 
spectacle  could  hardly  be  imagined.  When  the  attention 
of  the  boys  was  called  to  the  approaching  donkey  and  his 
nude  rider,  with  the  owner  marching  gaily  along  beside 
them,  the  comical  looking  proposition  created  no  end  of 
merriment  in  the  camp.     It  was  perfectly  irresistible. 

When  told  that  foxes  were  considered  wholly  unfit  for 
human  food,  the  poor  fellow  very  reluctantly  gave  it 
back  to  the  wolves.  He  did  not  see  why  foxes  were  not 
quite  as  wholesome  and  palatable  as  the  opossum,  the 
woodchuck,  and  the  squirrel ;  neither  did  I. 

In  marching  across  the  Bad  Lands  we  found  a  great 
scarcity  of  both  fuel  and  water,  and  had  not  the  precaution 
been  taken  of  loading  wood  onto  the  wagons  before  leaving 
the  White  river,  the  inevitable  black  coffee  and  hot  bread 
would  have  been  for  awhile  unknown  quantities. 

The  diflSculties  of  the  march  increased  as  the  days  went 
by.  The  cattle  became  completely  worn  out  from  their 
long  journey  over  the  rough,  untraveled  ground,  without 
being  allowed  suJ9Scient  time  to  feed.  Their  hoofs  became 
worn  to  the  quick,  and  it  looked  as  if  some  of  them  would 
have  to  be  abandoned  on  the  plains  to  die.  To  partially 
relieve  them,  they  were  provided  with  leather  shoes,  divi- 
ded to  fit  the  hoofs,  which  for  a  time  remedied  the  diflSculty, 
this,  however,  affording  only  temporary  relief  to  the  poor, 
emaciated  creatures  that  were  becoming  day  by  day  less 
able  to  carry  their  rapidly  diminishing  loads. 

Slowly  and  toilfully  we  crept  along  over  the  hard  frozen 
ground,  with  nothing  to  relieve  the  tiresome  monotony  of 
the  march,  save  the  amusement  afforded  us  by  the  daily 
chases  of  the  greyhounds  after  some  kind  of  game.  If 
the  game   happened  to  be  a  band  of  antelope,  they,  with  a 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  51 

snort  of  defiance,  would  scamper  away  over  the  prairie 
with  almost  lightning  speed,  those  not  especially  singled  out 
by  the  hounds,  turning  now  and  then,  with  heads  erect, 
and  nostrils  distended,  to  view  the  situation,  and  make 
sure  that  there  was  really  sufficient  cause  for  so  much  alarm 
on  their  part ;  and  it  was  truly  a  beautiful  sight.  The 
hounds,  selecting  their  victims  from  the  band,  would  (Dan 
in  the  lead)  scud  away  after  them,  in  a  perfect  frenzy  of  ex- 
citement, usually  running  them  to  some  point  beyond  our 
reach  of  vision,  so  that  vve  rarely  knew  the  real  denouement 
of  the  exciting  chase.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  game 
chanced  to  be  a  rabbit,  the  chase  proved  to  be  a  very  dis- 
appointing and  unsatisfactory  affair  to  both  Dan  and  Fan, 
on  account  of  its  shortness,  as  they  were  soon  run  to  cover. 
The  rabbit,  bounding  away  in  great  leaps,  covering  a  dis- 
tance of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  at  a  jump,  would  suddenly 
disappear  in  its  burrow,  not  far  away,  the  dogs  then 
returning,  with  a  wofuliy  crestfallen  expression  on  their 
intelligent  faces,  and  their  tails  dangling  down,  in  a  truly 
despondent  manner.  Nevertheless,  we  all  felt  exceedingly 
grateful  to  them  for  even  this  temporary  diversion  along 
the  dreary  road. 

Let  none  of  my  readers  be  deluded  into  the  belief  that 
there  was  anything,  either  very  romantic  or  pleasant  con- 
nected with  this  part  of  our  journey,  unless  shivering  over 
the  dying  embers  of  a  camp  fire,  silently  watching  the  day- 
light gradually  fade  into  darkness,  until  all  the  surround- 
ing desolation  was  overspread  with  the  sable  wings  of  night, 
and  then  creeping,  benumbed  with  cold,  into  bed,  be 
romantic,  or  unless  getting  up  at  the  early  dawn,  partaking 
of  a  hastily  prepared  breakfast,  none  too  tempting  to  the 
appetite,  and  trudging  off  through  the  snow,  day  after  day, 
be  considered  a  pleasure.  If  any  one  labors  under  such  a 
foolish  delusion,  let  such  individual  take  a  journey  under 
like  conditions  and  circumstances,  and  be  disenchanted. 


52 


THE    BLACK   HILLS  ;    OR, 


FIRST    SIGHT    OF    THE    BLACK    HILLS. 

We  bad  our  first  glimpse  of  the  Black  Hills  about  ten 
o'clock  a.  m.,  December  31st.  The  Black  Hills!  The 
Black  Hills  !  passed  from  lip  to  lip.  A  glad  cry  of  relief 
went  forth  at  the  sight,  and  every  heart  sang  preans  of  joy 
and  thankfulness,  that  our  destination  was  so  nearly  reached. 
We  could  see  plainly,  away  in  the  distance,  to  the  left  of 
us,  the  long  line  of  dark  shadowy  hills,  dimly  outlined 
against  the  blue  sky,  and  to  the  right,  Bear  Butte,  standing 
alone  like  a  huge  sentinel  guarding  the  entrance  to  that 
unknown  land. 

Of  course,  the  Hills  were  yet  along  distance  away,  but 
our  goal  was  always  after  in   sight  to  buoy  up  our  spirits. 

Several  days  before  sighting  the  Hills  some  of  our  poor 
cattle  had  become  so  reduced  and  footsore,  that  it  seemed 
impossible  for  them  to  proceed  any  farther  with  their 
loads.  It  appeared  as  if  some  would  be  compelled  to 
abandon  their  wagons  and  stock  of  supplies,  and  make 
their  way  into  the  Hills  as  best  they  could  with  such  provis- 
ions as  they  could  carry,  or  adopt  the  alternative  of  going 
into  winter  quarters  on  the  bleak  prairie.  This  terrible  alter- 
native, however,  was  happily  averted.  The  owners  of  the  bet- 
ter conditioned  stock  acted  the  part  of  the  good  Samaritan, 
by  relieving  the  disabled  cattle  of  a  part  of  their  loads,  thus 
increasing  that  of  their  own  already  overburdened  stock. 
Two  or  three  hundred  pounds,  more  or  less,  was  loaded  on 
to  the  submissive  donkey,  and  thus  lightened  we  were  all 
able  to  proceed  together  on  our  journey  greatly  to  our 
relief. 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.      53 


CHAPTER   yr. 

CROSSING  THE  CHEYENNE  RIVER. 

On  the  morning  of  December  3cl  we  found  our  train  on  the 
crest  of  a  high  precipitous  bluff,  near  the  point  where  the 
waters  of  Elk  creek  swell  the  current  of  the  Cheyenne 
river,  and  in  something  of  a  dilemma. 

To  descend  the  almost  perpendicular  front  of  the  bluff 
with  the  wagons  looked  impossible.  Descend  we  must, 
however,  or  take  the  alternative  of  turning  back,  and  trav- 
eling many  miles  in  search  of  a  more  practicable  point. 
Finally,  they  hit  upon  the  expedient  of  letting  the  wagons 
down  the  steep  incline  by  means  of  ropes,  with  which,  for- 
tunately, the  party  was  well  supplied.  The  cattle  were 
unhitched,  and  driven  across,  and  down  the  vertical  bluff 
first,  then  the  wagons,  one  by  one,  were  lowered  by  means 
of  ropes  to  the  valley  below. 

INDIANS     DISCOVERED. 

At  this  time  occurred  the  most  exciting  episode  of  the 
entire  journey.  As  the  last  wagon  was  being  lowered,  some 
one  discovered  moving  objects  a  mile  or  so  down  the  valley. 
Field  glasses  being  brought  to  bear  revealed  that  the  ani- 
mated objects  were  nothing  more  nor  less  than  about  two 
score  of  Indian  ponies,  feeding  along  the  valley  of  the 
river,  —  a  convincing  evidence  that  their  owners  were  near 
at  hand.  "  Ah,  then  there  was  hurrying  to  and  fro,"  but 
•*  no  gathering  tears,  nor  tremblings  of  distress."  Oh,  no, 
just  a  firm  compression  of  the  lips,  a  flashing  of  the  eye, 
then  a  hurried  examination  of  Winchesters,  a  buckling  on 
of  cartridge  belts,  and  the  boys  were  ready  for  action  at  the 
first  sign    of  hostility  on  the  part  of  the  Indians.     A  fight 


54  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

seemed  inevitable,  and  there  were  no  cowards  in  our  little 
band  of  men. 

I  was  speedily  and  rather  unceremoniously  ushered  into 
a  covered  wagon  out  of  sight — under  protest,  however, 
for  I  am  nothing  if  not  curious,  but  there  was  some  con- 
solation in  the  thought  that  from  my  point  of  vantage, 
everything  that  transpired  could  be  plainly  seen.  The 
reason  assigned  for  such  summary  procedure  was  that  the 
presence  of  a  woman  might  lead  the  Indians  to  suspect 
that  the  party  contemplated  a  longer  stay  within  their 
domain  than  would  be  agreeable  to  them. 

Very  soon  two  mounted  braves  came  dashing  up  the 
valley  toward  us,  being  very  careful,  however,  not  to  come 
within  gunshot  of  our  train ;  then  after  a  hasty  survey  of 
the  situation,  with  a  shrill  warwhoop,  they  rode  back  at  full 
speed  to  report  the  number  of  pale  faces  and  their  apparent 
strength. 

Orders  were  then  given  to  cross  the  river  and  halt  for 
dinner,  although  an  hour  earlier  than  the  usual  time  for  our 
noonday  meal.  Soon  after  going  into  camp,  five  mounted 
Indians  rode  into  our  midst,  and  remained  until  the  train 
was  ready  to  pull  out.  The  Indians  improved  the  time 
by  trying  to  barter  away  their  ponies  for  ammunition  and 
guns ;  and  no  doubt  they  would  have  given  several 
of  their  ponies  for  one  of  the  Winchesters,  with  which  our 
party  was  equipped,  and  which  they  examined  with  a  great 
deal  of  interest.  Of  course  we  had  neither  guns  nor  ammu- 
nition to  barter  away  for  ponies  nor  money. 

These  Indians  seemed  quite  friendly,  and  to  do  them 
justice,  they  were  really  quite  respectable  looking  Indians, 
as  Indians  go,  but  like  all  their  race,  the  most  inveterate  of 
beggars.  They  were  fitted  out  with  a  goodly  supply  of 
flour,  bacon,  sugar,  and  tobacco  —  yes,  we  had  tobacco, 
and  pipes  too. 

From  my  safe  retreat  'neath  the  canvas,  through  a  con- 
venient aperture,  I  had  a  "  bird's-eye  "  view  of  the  whole 
procedure  and  to  tell  the  truth,  I  felt  much  uneasiness  on 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAK0TAH8.  55 

seeing  the  liberality  with  which  the  boys  were  doling  out 
their  precious  stock  of  provisions  to  the  graceless  savages. 
In  truth,  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  uttering  a  warning 
cry  from  my  hiding-place,  from  which  I  hoped  soon  to 
emerge,  but  I  remembered  the  ammunition  episode  in  the 
early  part  of  the  journey,  and  heroically  closed  my  lips. 

When  the  train  received  its  marching  orders  the  Indians, 
laden  with  the  generous  contributions,  returned  to  their 
camp,  a  short  distance  below.  These  Indians,  who  proved 
to  be  a  band  of  Cheyennes  returning  from  a  summer  hunt 
to  winter  quarters — are  reputed  to  be  less  warlike  than 
many  of  the  other  tribes,  —  at  all  events,  they  gave  us  no 
farther  trouble.  Perhaps  they  stood  in  wholesome  terror 
of  the  formidable  equipments  of  our  expedition  and 
thought  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor.  Had  we  en- 
countered an  equal  number  of  the  fierce  and  bloodthirsty 
Sioux,  doubtless  I  should  have  a  far  different  story  to 
relate,  or,  perchance,  there  might  not  have  been  one  left 
to  tell  the  tale.  I  am  of  the  opinion,  however,  that  our 
plucky  little  band  would  have  proved  more  than  a  match 
for  the  sneaking  savages,  as  they  were  on  the  constant 
lookout,  and  always  prepared  for  a  surprise. 

After  this  encounter,  and,  in  view  of  a  possible  attempt 
to  run  off  the  stock  of  the  train,  a  double  guard  was  placed 
to  patrol  the  outskirts  of  the  camp,  to  watch  the  cattle,  for 
several  nights  thereafter,  when,  as  we  were  not  molested, 
the  force  was  reduced  to  its  original  number. 

Two  days  after  leaving  the  Cheyenne  river,  one  of  our 
cattle  gave  up  the  struggle,  unable  to  proceed  a  step  far- 
ther. The  worn-out  beast  was  unhitched  from  the  wagon, 
the  yoke  removed  from  his  galled  shoulders,  and  he  was 
turned  out  on  the  prairie  to  die,  and  the  last  we  saw  of  the 
poor  bovine  he  was  lying  exhausted  on  the  ground,  but, 
true  to  his  instincts,  chewing  his  "  cud"  vigorously. 

As  we  approached  the  Hills,  they  began  to  assume  a 
more  definite  shape.  Instead  of  the  great  banks  of  vapory 
clouds  as  at  first  sight,  there  rose  up,  bold,  rugged,  abrupt 


56  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

mountains,  all  along  their  eastern  limits,  and  the  striking 
resemblance  of  Bear  Butte  to  a  huge  bear,  as  outlined  from 
our  point  of  view,  became  easily  discernible,  growing  more 
and  more  clearly  outlined,  as  the  train  drew  near. 

Two  days  before  reaching  the  point  of  entrance,  it  ap- 
peared that  in  a  few  hours,  at  most,  we  could  reach  the 
Hills,  and  I  was  greatly  surprised  when  told  that  they 
were  yet  forty  miles  away..  The  next  morning,  they  were 
so  very  near  that  I  felt  an  impulse  to  reach  out  my  hand 
and  pluck  a  twig  from  the  evergreens  on  the  hillsides,  — 
so  deceptive  is  distance,  in  the  rare  atmosphere  of  the  Black 
Hills,  —  especially  to  the  unaccustomed  eye.  The  delusion 
is  not  near  so  great  when  one  becomes  accustomed  to  the 
climate,  the  philosophy  of  which  I  do  not  understand. 

At  length  on  the  9th  day  of  December  our  feet  fir?t 
pressed  Black  Hills'  soil,  at  a  point  about  four  miles  below 
Sturgis,  where  we  took  dinner  in  the  midst  of  a  howl- 
ing snowstorm.  Here  we  found  a  well-defined  wagon 
road  made  by  the  heavy  supply  train,  accompanying  the 
Custer  expedition  on  its  exit  from  the  Hills  in  the  preced- 
ing August.  On  reaching  the  foothills  at  this  point,  to 
guard  against  an  ambushed  foe  it  was  deemed  advisable  to 
press  into  service  a  day  guard,  an  advance  and  rear  guard, 
and  also  two  flank  guards,  whose  duty  it  was  to  patrol  the 
ridges  along  each  side  of  the  moving  train  to  apprise  the 
party  of  any  threatened  danger,  and  it  was  no  easy  duty. 
We  expected  to  find  Indians  galore  in  the  Hills,  skulking 
behind  the  bushes  and  trees,  and  I  now  recall  how  I  mag- 
nified every  bush  and  shrub  along  the  top  of  the  ridges, 
into  the  tufted  heads  of  so  many  redskins,  peering  over  the 
crests  of  the  hills  at  our  train.  However,  as  no  apparent 
danger  seemed  to  threaten  us,  and  as  no  evidence  of  the 
presence  of  Indians  had  been  found,  after  two  days  the 
extra  guard  was  released  from  dut}'. 

Our  first  camp  within  the  limits  of  the  Hills  was  made  in 
a  canyon  about  two  miles  below  where  Piedmont  now  is, 
on    the    night    of    December    9th,    wherefrom    the    train 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.      57 

marched  in  a  southerly  direction  up  over  the  hill  and  down 
into  the  Box  Elder  Valley  at  a  point  not  far  from  the 
mouth  of  Jim  creek,  then  following  up  the  Box  Elder  to 
the  north  fork  of  that  stream  and  over  the  divide  to  Little 
Rapid  creek,  thence  almost  due  south  across  Castle, 
Slate,  and  Spring  creeks  to  our  destination,  two  and  one- 
half  miles  below  Custer. 

When  we  first  struck  the  Custer  wagon  trail,  we  found 
along  the  way,  horseshoes,  kernels  of  corn,  and  other 
evidences  that  civilized  people  had  but  recently  traveled 
over  the  ground,  which  so  reminded  me  of  home,  or,  I 
might  as  well  confess  the  truth,  I  became  for  the  first  time 
so  utterly  homesick  that —  what  did  I  do?  Well,  1  sought 
the  most  convenient  log,  sat  down  npon  it,  and  proceeded 
to  shed  a  torrent  of  unavailing  tears  —  and  they  were  no 
crocodile  tears,  either.  Would  not  some  of  my  readers 
have  been  equally  weak,  I  wonder? 

Through  the  mystic  influence  of  associations,  very  small 
things  are,  under  circumstances,  wonderfully  potent  in  their 
appeal  to  the  human  heart.  So  in  this  case  even  a  few 
grains  of  corn,  scattered  along  the  wild  mountain  trail,  had 
the  power  to  burst  open  the  flood-gates  and  let  the  current 
of  tears  rush  forth. 

On  the  first  night  spent  within  the  limits  of  the  Hills, 
we  all  had  a  pretty  bad  Indian  scare,  which  caused  some- 
thing of  a  panic  in  the  camp.  Long  after  the  camp  fires 
were  extinguished  and  the  guards  posted  on  the  outskirts, 
the  inmates  of  the  camp  were  suddenly  aroused  by  the  low 
warning  cry  of:  "  Boys,  for  God's  sake,  get  up  quick  and 
get  your  guns,  the  camp  is  surrounded  by  Indians !  We're 
in  for  it  this  time,  sure."  The  boys  sprang  up,  pulled  on 
their  cast  iron  boots,  grabbed  their  guns  and  rushed  forth 
to  meet  the  foe.  I  sat  bolt  upright  in  my  lowly  bed,  and 
listened  —  my  heart  beating  a  rapid  tattoo,  meanwhile  — 
but  could  hear  nothing  but  the  dismal  howling  of  the  hun- 
gry timber  wolves,  which,  it  finally  turned  out,  two  of  the 
guards  had  magnified  into  the  blood-curdling  warwhoop  of 


58  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

the  Sioux.     A  few  of  the  boys  had  never  heard  an  Indian 
warwhoop;  hence  the  mistake. 

As  our  route  was  taken  through  some  of  the  wildest  por- 
tions of  the  Hills,  the  journey  through  them  proved  a  de- 
lightful revelation  —  one  continuous  poem,  replete  with  all 
that  is  grand,  sublime  and  beautiful.  We  found  the  Black 
Hills  a  profound  solitude,  with  peace,  like  a  guardian  angel, 
reigning  over  the  whole  wide  expanse,  and  without  a  single 
vestige  of  civilization;  and  as  we  marched  along  under  the 
shadows  of  the  lofty  hills,  I  remember  how  greatly  I  was 
impressed  with  their  vastness,  and  our  own  comparative 
insignificance  and  littleness.  Up  and  down  over  the  rough 
divides  our  jaded  cattle  laboriously  made  their  way.  Down 
steep  and  dangerous  declivities,  into  dark  canyons,  where 
the  sun  never  shone  save  at  midday,  and  where  it  seemed 
so  awfully  hushed,  as  to  be  almost  oppressive,  we  pursued 
our  course. 

All  along  the  route  could  be  seen  in  places,  on  one  hand, 
huge  rocks  piled  high  one  upon  the  other,  with  almost 
mechanical  regularity  and  precision,  as  if  placed  there  by 
the  hand  of  a  master  workman — a  great  wall  of  natural 
masonry;  on  the  other  the  everlasting  hills,  covered  with 
majestic  pines,  that  looked  like  stately  sentinels  guarding 
the  valleys  below,  towering  far,  far  up  above  our  heads  ; 
then  anon  low  lying  ranges  of  hills,  clothed  with  dense  for- 
ests of  pine,  and  away  in  the  hazy  distance,  other  ranges 
rising  up  like  great  banks  of  clouds  against  the  horizon. 
For  myself,  1  confess  that  I  had  then  no  knowledge  of  the 
geography  of  the  country  we  were  traversing,  but  as  I 
remember  the  localities,  it  was  on  the  divide  between  Rapid 
and  Spring  creeks  that  we  first  saw  Harney's  Peak,  tower- 
ing up  in  rocky  grandeur,  to  the  left  of  our  line  of  march. 

A  noticeable  feature  of  the  country  through  which  we 
passed,  as  we  neared  our  objective  point,  was  the  many 
beautiful  glades,  with  their  scattered  bunches  of  pines  and 
hemlocks —  a  vivid  picture  of  which  I  have  in  my  mind  as 
they  appeared  to  me  then,  with  the  bright  winter's   sun 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  59 

shining  down  through  their  branches,  fleckino;  the  brown 
earth  beneath,  with  patches  of  burnished  gold  —  spots 
where  one  might  expect  to  see  fairies  dancing  and  skipping 
about  on  moonlight  nights.  A  tit  abode  it  seemed  for 
our  first  parents, — in  the  days  of  their  primeval  inno- 
cencj,  —  ere  woman  tempted  (?)  man  to  sin. 

In  passing  through  some  of  the  deepest,  darkest  canyons 
of  the  Hills,  my  imagination  would  run  riot  at  times,  and  I 
could  not  help  glancing  furtively  from  side  to  side  of  the 
ravines  to  see  whether  there  were  any  gnomes  or  hobgob- 
lins peering  out  at  us  from  between  the  crevices  of  the 
great  rocks,  where  these  irrational  creatures  are  supposed 
to  hold  high  carnival,  and  I  confess  that  I  always  felt  a 
trifle  relieved  when  we  emerged  from  those  uncanny 
places. 

Altogether  the  journey  through  the  Hills  was  a  rare  treat 
to  one  who  had  never  before  been  among  the  mountains. 
The  entire  landscape  was  one  well  calculated  to  impress  the 
beholder  with  awe,  and  incline  him,  if  aught  earthly  could, 
to  fall  prostrate  at  the  footstool  of  the  Great  Unseen  behind 
all  its  wonderful  majesty  and  beauty  ;  and  to  make  the  scene 
still  more  impressive,  an  awful  silence — a  silence  which 
only  primeval  forests  know  —  hung  over  all.  No  sound  was 
to  be  heard  amid  the  solitude,  save  our  own  voices,  which 
sounded  strange  and  unnatural;  the  rumbling  of  the 
wagons  over  the  rough  trail,  and  the  cracking  of  the  drivers' 
whips,  which  reverberated  from  hill  to  hill  and  through  the 
corridors  of  the  woods  in  the  most  romantic  manner.  By 
the  way,  the  drivers  seemed  to  delight  in  cracking  their 
whips  and  hallooing  to  the  cattle,  simply,  I  suspected,  to 
hear  the  delightfully  romantic  effect. 

Lyman  Lamb  was  one  of  the  Jehus  of  the  party,  and  he 
showed  himself  quite  as  expert  in  that  capacity  as  he  has 
since  in  keeping  county  records.  He  did  not,  however, 
like  the  scriptural  Jehu,  ride  in  a  chariot,  drawn  by  fiery 
steeds,  but  on  the  contrary,  drove  his  own  cattle,  walking 
by  their  side  from  the  start  to  the  finish,  and  the  wonder- 


60  THE   BLACK   HILLS  ;    OR, 

ful  skill  and  dexterity  with  which  he  wielded  his  prodigious 
whip,  and  cracked  its  long  lash,  would  have  made  a  pro- 
fessional *'  whacker  "  green  with  envy,  and  excited  my 
most  profound  and  lasting  admiration. 

In  all  the  vicissitudes  of  that  long,  trying  journey  Mr. 
Lamb  proved  himself  one  of  Nature's  noblemen  — fearless 
and  intrepid,  and  one  upon  whom  it  is  always  safe  to  rely. 

Our  march  through  the  Hills  was  necessarily  slow, 
owing  to  the  weak  condition  of  the  cattle,  it  taking  just 
two  weeks  from  the  time  we  entered  the  Hills  to  reach 
French  creek.  At  last,  after  a  hard  journey  full  of  bitter 
experiences,  we  arrived  at  our  objective  point,  about  two 
and  one-half  miles  below  Custer,  on  December  23d,  1874, 
having  been  seventy-eight  days  en  route. 

As  soon  as  the  train  came  to  a  halt,  some  of  the  boys 
rushed  to  the  wagons  for  shovels  and  gold  pans,  and  hast- 
ened to  Hnd  the  place  where  the  miners  of  Custer's  expedi- 
tion claimed  to  have  found  the  gold.  Soon  they  were  seen 
returning  to  camp  waving  their  hats  aloft  in  a  very  excited 
manner,  myself  joining  them,  by  frantically  waving  my 
much  traveled  and  weather-beaten  hood  in  genuine  sympa- 
thy. Eureka!  They  had  found  particles  of  gold  in  the 
bottom  of  each  gold  pan,  and  my  readers  may  be  assured 
that  there  was  great  rejoicing  in  our  camp  on  French  creek 
that  winter's  night. 

Our  poor  emaciated  cattle  were  unyoked  for  the  last 
time,  and  turned  out  to  subsist  as  best  they  could  for  the 
winter.  Our  tents  were  pitched,  suppers  prepared  and  eaten 
with  the  usual  informality,  and  we  then  sat  around  our 
blazing  camplires  in  the  heart  of  the  wilderness,  not  singing 
songs  and  rehearsing  tales,  as  of  yore,  when  we  yet  reposed 
under  the  folds  of  the  American  flag,  but  talking  of  and 
thinking  out  the  difiicult  problem  that  confronted  us; 
some,  perchance,  indulging  in  waking  dreams  of  the  piles 
of  gold  that  were  almost  within  their  grasp. 

Ah,  if  we  could  only  have  lifted  the  curtain,  and  taken  a 
glance  into  the  future,  at  the  long  years  of  weary  waiting,  our 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  61 

bright  hopes  would  have  given  phice  to  dark  despair.  In 
mercy,  "  Heaven  from  all  creatures  hides  the  Book  of  Fate." 
I  often  wonder  if  any  of  the  little  band  of  pioneers,  who 
sat  dreaming  around  that  camp  fire  on  French  creek  that 
night,  have  ever  yet  realized  their  hopes,  or  are  they  still 
chasing  the  illusive  phantom,  that  somehow  always  man- 
ages to  elude  their  grasp.  I  am  quite  clear  on  one  point, 
and  that  is,  that  the  author  of  this  story  has  been  reaching 
out  for  more  than  two  decades  after  that  delusive  "  will-o'- 
the-wisp,"  and  is  still  employed  in  the  same  fruitless 
occupation. 

Now  that  our  journey  was  ended  for  a  few  months  at 
least,  our  camp  arrangements  must  be  of  a  more  permanent 
character,  so  we  pitched  our  tents  on  the  hill  slope  north 
of  French  creek  near  a  copious  spring  and  proceeded  to 
make  our  surroundings  as  comfortable  as  was  possible 
under  the  circumstances  and  limitations. 

A  wearied  and  worn,  tattered  and  torn  combination  we 
were,  to  be  sure,  on  reaching  French  creek  on  that  23d  day 
of  December,  1874.  How  could  it  be  otherwise?  I  was 
painfully  aware  that  I,  at  least,  was  in  a  very  sorry 
plight.  My  shoes,  especially,  were  in  a  sadly  demoralized 
condition  —  a  thin  apology  for  shoes,  although  the  second 
pair  since  leaving  the  haunts  of  man.  What  did  I  do  for 
shoes?  Why,  I  made  a  pair  of  moccasins  of  a  deer  skin 
that  had  been  tanned  and  prepared  by  one  of  the  boys  for 
the  purpose,  and  very  comfortable  moccasins  they  were, 
too.  Did  I  walk  much  of  the  way  on  the  journey?  Oh, 
yes,  all  of  the  way  after  leaving  the  settlements,  except  dur- 
ing a  week  of  sickness,  and  a  few  short  rides  on  the  back 
of  the  little  burro. 

Now  some  may  regard  such  a  feat  as  something  quite 
wonderful,  but  there  was  really  nothing  remarkable  about 
it,  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  distance  traveled  was 
only  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  a  day,  and  the  gait  exceed- 
ingly slow — a  mere  pleasure  walk.  Anyhow,  who  would 
ride  in  a  heavily  loaded  wagon  drawn  by  worn-out,  footsore 


62  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

cattle?  Not  I,  indeed.  Of  course  the  ground  traversed 
was  very  rough,  and  sometimes  covered  with  snow,  hence 
the  deplorable  state  of  my  footwear. 

Had  it  not  been  for  certain  precautions  taken  by  us 
pedestrians  on  our  way'into  the  Hills,  some  would  have 
been  barefoot  in  all  likelihood,  long  before  reaching  the 
end  of  the  journey. 

When  there  was  snow  on  the  ground  we  '*  packed  "  our 
feet  to  protect  them  against  the  loose  snow,  as  well  as  the 
cold.  Now  I  venture  to  assert  that  some  of  my  readers 
do  not  even  know  what  packing  the  feet  means.  I  didn't 
know  before  I  started  to  the  Black  Hills,  and  took  a  regular 
course  in  the  art.  Well,  it  means  simply  to  bind  a  gunny- 
sack —  now  don't  pretend  not  to  know  what  a  gunnysack 
is  —  snugly  around  the  feet  and  ankles,  then  bind  it  on 
with  a  stout  cord  to  keep  it  in  place.  There  is  nothing 
equal  to  it  as  a  protection  to  the  feet,  and  I  regard  the 
man  or  woman  who  originated  the  idea,  as  a  genius  and  a 
benefactor  of  the  pioneers.  Try  it  when  you  cross  the 
plains  on  foot  in  the  winter. 

The  next  day,  December  24th,  was  wash  day,  and  day  of 
general  repairs  in  camp,  and  a  formidable  undertaking  it 
was,  as  may  be  easily  imagined.  We  had  tubs,  wash- 
boards, and  plenty  of  soap  in  the  outfit,  but  we  were 
obliged  to  take  turns  in  washing  as  there  were  not  quite 
enough  tubs  to  go  round.  When  the  garments  were 
washed,  they  were  spread  on  the  bushes  to  dry,  and  when 
dry  were  ready  to  wear,  as  they  were  never  ironed,  every- 
thing being  done  after  the  most  primitive  fashion.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  the  boys  did  their  own  washing  and 
mending.  Lest  some  might  think  that  we  had  ignored  the 
laws  of  hygiene  while  en  route,  I  want  to  state  that  frequent 
short  halts  had  been  made  for  washing  and  bathing  pur- 
poses, notwithstanding  the  danger,  for  although  branded 
as  outlaws,  we  were  not  barbarians. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  63 

CHRISTMAS-TIDE     IN    BLACK    HILLS    IN    1874. 

Yule-tide  had  come,  and  it  was  hardly  to  be  expected 
that  the  children's  patron  saint  would  think  of  running  the 
gauntlet  of  the  Indians  to  visit  our  obscure  camp  among 
the  wilds,  so,  inspired  by  the  spirit  of  "  Peace  on  earth  and 
good  will  towards  men,"  and  feeling  that  something  should 
be  done  to  keep  the  festive  season  green  in  our  memories, 
I  bethought  me  of  a  Christmas  tree,  without  the  genial 
saint.  There  were  plenty  of  evergreens  that  could  easily 
vie  with  the  time-honored  holly  and  mistletoe  on  every 
side,  and  beautiful  Christmas  trees  near  at  hand  in  the 
valleys,  but  what  was  the  good  of  a  tree  with  nothing  to 
put  on  it  —  no  books,  no  toys,  no  confections,  nothing 
but  picks,  shovels,  gold  pans,  and  an  ox  chain  for  orna- 
mentation, and  these  would  hardly  be  appropriate.  The 
fondly  remembered  Christmas  stocking  was  thought  of,  but 
here  the  same  difficulty  occurred.  The  whole  category  of 
supplies  from  baked  beans  down  failed  to  furnish  anything 
suitable  for  a  Christmas  gift,  and  so  my  great  mental 
struggle  to  make  the  "  eve  "  seem  like  Christmas  went  for 
naught. 

Christmas  morn  dawned  upon  us,  and  at  no  time  since 
our  journey  began  did  we  realize  so  keenly  how  far  re- 
moved, both  by  distance  and  environments,  we  were  from 
home  and  all  that  it  implies.  Completely  cut  off  from  the 
whole  Christian  world  with  its  precious  privileges ;  no 
Merry  Christmas  greeting  from  the  loved  ones  away  back 
towards  the  rising  sun;  no  sweet  chimes  of  Christmas  bells 
fell  upon  our  ears;  no  grand  organ  notes,  pealing  forth 
the  glad  Hosannas,  reached  us  among  the  mountain  fast- 
nesses ;  no  church  privileges  —  but,  wait  —  was  not  the 
whole  visible  expanse  a  church,  grander  by  far  than  any 
cathedral  ever  built  by  human  hands?  Was  there  not  a 
powerful  sermon  in  the  beautiful  quartz  that  lay  scattered 
about  on  the  hillsides,  and  a  great  moral  lesson  in  every 


64  THE   BLACK   HILLS  ;    OR, 

tree  and  bush  that  grew  upon  their  lofty  crests?  Were  not 
the  mournful  cadences  of  the  wind,  as  it  whispered  through 
the  pine  branches  above  our  tents,  more  touching  than  the 
sweetest  song;  and  the  awful  silence  that  brooded  over 
each  hill,  valley,  and  beautiful  glade,  more  potent  to  lift 
the  thoughts  Heavenward,  than  the  grandest  choral  music 
ever  chanted  by  human  voices?  These  were  the  thoughts 
that  rose  up  in  my  mind,  as  I  sat  musing  at  the  opening 
of  my  tent,  on  that  Christmas  day,  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
century  ago. 

What  of  our  material  comfort?  Did  we  have  a  Christmas 
dinner?  Alas,  no.  Roast  turkey  with  cranberry  sauce, 
plum  puddings,  and  mince  pies  were  not  much  in  evidence 
on  our  tables  that  day  —  nothing  but  our  coarse  evcry-day 
fare,  and  no  doubt  the  thoughts  of  every  one  of  our  little 
band  went  back  over  the  dreary  intervening  waste,  to  the 
good  cheer  of  the  dear  old  homes. 

The  day  after  Christmas  the  storm  clouds  gathered,  and 
soon  snow  began  to  fall,  —  coming  down  in  great  feathery 
flakes  until  the  whole  landscape  was  covered  to  a  depth  of 
two  or  more  feet,  on  a  dead  level,  and  our  tents  were  al- 
most literally  snowed  under.  Then  the  wind  rose  and 
blew  a  terridc  gale  —  driving  the  loose  snow  before  it,  and 
piling  it  in  great  banks  in  the  valley  below,  and  the  cold 
became  intense. 

Being  on  the  southern  slope  of  the  hill  we  did  not  feel 
the  cold  much,  but  the  cattle  suffered  terribly,  both  from 
cold  and  hunger,  especially  the  latter,  as  they  could  not 
reach  the  cured  grasses, — so  abundant  in  the  snow- 
covered  vallev.  At  niofht  great  fires  were  built  of  pitch 
pine  logs,  piled  high,  which  threw  out  light  and  heat  in 
every  direction.  The  poor  cattle,  attracted  by  the  grateful 
warmth,  would  come  into  camp  and  stand  in  a  long  line  on 
each  side  of  the  fire,  until  somewhat  thawed  out,  when  they 
would  wander  back,  one  by  one,  into  the  darkness  and 
fierce  storm. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


65 


Was  it  reason  or  iastinct  that  guided  those  dumb  brutes 
in,  systematically  arranging  themselves  in  rows,  near  the 
fire,  and  then  leaving  their  comfortable  positions  without 
any  compulsion,  just  as  if  they  felt  themselves  intruders. 

In  less  than  a  week  the  great  storm  was  over  and  the 
weather  became  as  warm  and  balmy  as  a  June  day. 


6Q  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER    yil. 

BUILDING  THE  STOCKADE. 

The  time  had  now  come  when  we  must  look  the  situation 
squarely  in  the  face.  We  were  in  the  Black  Hills,  but  how 
long  we  would  be  permitted  to  remain  was  a  problem  which 
the  future  alone  could  solve.  But  whether  our  stay  was  to 
be  long  or  short,  the  exigencies  of  the  situ:ition  demanded 
that  safer  and  more  comfortable  quarters  be  at  once  pro- 
vided. The  storms  of  midwinter  were  upon  us,  and 
danger,  for  ausfht  we  knew,  might  be  even  then  lurking 
behind  each  bush  and  tree.  Therefore,  to  guard  against 
exposure  and  possible  danger,  the  plan  for  building  a  place 
of  defense  was  matured  and  speedily  executed.  Skillful 
and  willing  hands  were  soon  at  work,  and  despite  the  fact 
that  the  work  began  in  the  midst  of  the  worst  snowstorm 
of  the  winter,  in  about  two  weeks  the  formidable  structure, 
commonly  known  as  the  Gordon  stockade,  was  completed 
and  ready  for  occupancy. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  have  never  seen  that  early 
stronghold,  I  will  give  a  description  of  the  structure,  as  I 
remember  it  after  the  lapse  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, and,  in  view  of  the  memorable  winter  spent  within  its 
gloomy  walls,  I  am  not  likely  to  forget  a  single  feature, 
from  the  top  to  the  base,  or  from  the  great  wooden  gate  to 
the  opposite  wall. 

The  walls  of  the  stockade  were  built  of  heavy  pine 
timber,  thirteen  feet  in  length,  set  close  together  in  an 
upright  position,  three  feet  in  the  ground,  forming  an 
inclosure  eighty  feet  square.  Along  the  line  of  contact, 
between  the  timbers,  other  smaller  timber  were  pinned 
with  heavy  wooden  pins.     At  each  of  the  four  corners  of 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  (i7 

this  iuclosure  were  bastions,  standing  out  six  feet  from  the 
main  structure,  —  each  provided  with  four  embrasures,  and 
alono;  the  two  sides  and  one  end,  at  intervals  of  about  eight 
feet,  were  portholes.  A  large  double  gate  twelve  feet 
wide,  built  of  hewn  timber  strongly  riveted  together  with 
wooden  pins,  completed  the  structure,  this  gate  being  the 
only  entrance  to  that  impregnable  fortress  of  the  Hills. 
It  has  been  pronounced  by  those  who  are  good  judges  of 
defensive  works  the  strongest  fortification  of  the  kind  ever 
built  in  the  West.  Capt.  Mix,  in  his  description  of  our 
stronghold  to  Gen.  Bradley,  on  his  return  with  the  pris- 
oners to  Fort  Laramie  said:  "  Why,  if  they  had  resisted  I 
should  have  been  obliged  to  return  to  the  fort  for  artillery 
to  dislodge  them."  At  any  rate,  once  within  its  strong 
walls  we  felt  that  we  could  defy  the  Indians  as  long  as  our 
ammunition  lasted  or  until  we  were  starved  out.  But 
would  our  ammunition  last;  would  our  provisions  hold 
out  until  relief  came?     That  was  the  problem. 

Within  the  walls  of  the  stockade  were  built  seven  log 
cabins,  three  on  each  side  and  one  opposite  the  gate,  with 
a  space  of  about  six  feet  intervening  between  them  and  the 
walls,  designed  for  the  sharpshooters  at  the  portholes,  and 
the  bastions,  leaving  a  large  area  in  the  center  of  the  in- 
closure.  In  one  of  these  log  cabins  the  author  spent  the 
never  to  be  forgotten  w^inter  of  1874-5.  It  is  much  to  be 
regretted  that  ruthless  hands  were  permitted  to  destroy 
that  great  early  landmark  of  the  Black  Hills,  which 
might  have  been  preserved  as  a  memorial  to  the  pluck  and 
perseverance  of  the  men  who  built  it.  It  is  said  that  not 
a  single  stick  is  left  to  mark  the  spot  where  it  stood. 

LIFE    IN    THE    STOCKADE. 

The  seven  cabins  within  the  walls  of  the  stockade,  in 
which  we  were  doomed  to  drag  out  the  weary  monotonous 
days  of  winter,  were  more  or  less  pretentious,  according  to 
the  taste  and  skill  of  the  builders. 

The  first  cabin  on  the  right  was  conspicuous  because  of 


68 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OK, 


the  peculiar  construction  of  the  roof,  which  consisted  of 
small  hewn  timbers  with  a  groove  chiseled  out  in  the  center 
of  each  to  carry  off  the  water.  As  a  substitute  for  shino^les 
it  was  an  ingenious  contrivance.     This  same  cabin  had  a 


THE    GORDON    STOCKADE  —  PHOTOGRAPHED   IN    187G. 

floor  of  hewn  logs,  a  door  of  hand-sawed  boards,  a  chim- 
ney, a  fire-place,  and  an  opening  for  a  window,  but  no 
sash.  This  model  cabin  was  built  by  what  was  known  on 
our  journey  as  the  "  Logan  "  outfit  —  each  wagon  with  all 
its  accessories  and  appurtenances,  being  called,  while  en 
route,  an  "  ontfit."  Well,  this  Logan  aggregation  consisted 
of  a  half-dozen  fine  muscular  fellows  from  the  pineries  of 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  69 

Wisconsin,  who  were  not  afraid  of  work,  and  not  very 
much  afraid  of  Indians.  Some  of  them,  as  their  names 
indicated,  were  brave  Scotsmen,  whose  ancestors,  at  least, 
came  f rae  the  hills  o'  bonnie  Scotland. 

The  second  on  the  right  belonged  to  the  "  Whitney  "  pro- 
position, the  personnel  of  which  was  R.  Whitney,  D.  Aken, 
John  Boyle,  and  Harney  Cooper,  the  young  artist  who 
charmed  us  all  by  his  glorious  voice  while  journeying  over 
the  plains. 

The  third  on  the  same  side,  which  compared  favorably  with 
the  tirst,  though  of  a  somewhat  different  style  of  architect- 
ure, was  constructed  by  Lyman  Lamb,  T.  H.  Russell,  and 
Angus  McDonald,  who,  poor  fellow,  was  crushed  to  death 
by  the  falling  of  a  tree,  a  few  years  ago,  near  Deadwood. 
This  cabin  was  planned  by  Lyman  Lamb,  who  also  drew 
the  plan  for  the  great  stockade. 

The  cabin  opposite  the  gate,  a  well-built  and  substantial 
structure,  was  occupied  by  John  Gordon,  the  leader  of  the 
expedition,  H.  Bishop,  the  owner  of  the  aforementioned 
greyhounds,  Chas.  Long,  and  N.  Warren,  dubbed  "Uncle 
Nute,"  and  the  best-natured  man  in  the  expedition.  "  Uncle 
Nute,"  by  the  way,  was  a  master  of  the  art  of  song.  His 
voice  could  be  heard  blithely  and  joyously  singing  from 
early  morn  to  dewy  eve  without  cessation,  in  fact  he  sang 
always  except  when  asleep,  and  his  constant  refrain  was 
somethino;  about  beins;  "Down  in  the  coal  mines  under- 
neath  the  ground,  and  digging  dusty  diamonds  all  the 
season  round." 

The  next  cabin  to  the  right  in  the  circuit,  and  the  most 
unpretentious  of  the  seven,  was  our  house,  a  low  square 
structure  without  gables,  consisting  of  one  room  which 
served  the  purposes  of  kitchen,  dining  room,  bed  room, 
and  parlor.  Like  the  others  it  was  built  of  logs,  not  hewn 
but  round  as  nature  formed  them,  with  not  a  single  mark 
of  ax  or  adz  to  mar  their  symmetry.  The  roof  which  slanted 
at  an  angle  of  about  forty-two  and  a  half  degrees  was 
constructed  of  poles  covered  over  with  alternate  layers  of 


70  THE    BLACK    HILLS  *,    OR, 

hemlock  boughs  and  mother  earth.  I  think  the  poles  were 
of  the  quaking  asp  variety,  at  least  I  thought  so,  when  the 
wintry  winds  swept  through  the  great  open  gate.  It  had  a 
chimney,  too,  a  sort  of  a  nondescript  affair,  and  a  wide  fire- 
place with  a  large  flat  stone  in  front  of  it,  and  several 
stones  of  lesser  magnitude,  arrayed  with  an  eye  to  artistic 
effect,  in  a  circle  on  the  outside,  otherwise  our  cabin  was 
guiltless  of  floor  or  carpet.  There  was  an  opening  front- 
ing the  area  for  a  door,  over  which  was  hung  a  large  coffee 
sack  for  a  portiere,  and  a  small  square  opening  just  opposite 
for  a  window,  over  which  was  tacked  a  piece  of  cloth  bear- 
ing in  large  red  letters  the  following  legend,  "  XXX  Extra 
Superfine,"  which  completed  the  main  part  of  the  edifice. 

Moreover,  ourhouse  had  a  wing  —  a  right  wing,  whose  sole 
occupant  was  Chas.  Cordeiro,  the  Moor.  Now,  although 
this  annex  was,  architecturally  si>eaking,  a  part  and  parcel 
of  the  main  building,  there  was  no  communication  between 
the  two  parts,  save  a  small  square  opening  cut  through  the 
log  partition,  for  the  mutual  accommodation  of  the  dwellers 
on  each  side,  and  through  which  reciprocal  courtesies  were 
daily  interchanged.  For  instance,  among  our  scanty  sup- 
ply of  cooking  utensils  was  a  small  iron  kettle — perhaps 
the  only  one  in  the  expedition,  which  our  near  neighbor 
took  occasion  to  borrow,  whenever  he  had  a  pot  of  beans, 
or  a  leg  of  venison  to  cook,  —  on  the  other  hand,  he  had  a 
sharp  two-edged  axe,  which  he  always  kept  whetted  to  the 
keenness  of  a  razor,  to  which  we  were  ever  made  welcome, 
on  demand.  As  these  articles  were  being  passed  back  and 
forth  through  this  convenient  aperture,  our  neighbor,  when 
looking  through  from  his  little  dingy  room  with  his  super- 
naturally  intense  black  eyes,  made  a  very  suggestive  picture, 
to  me  suggestive  of  a  prisoner  peering  through  the  barred 
windows  of  a  prison  cell. 

The  next  cabin  on  the  left  of  the  entrance  was  occupied 
by  Eaf  Witcher  and  Henry  Thomas,  and  the  last  in  the 
circuit  belonged  to  Chas.  Blackwell  and  Thos.  McLaren, 
our  former    copartners,  —  the    firm    having   dissolved    by 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  71 

mutual  consent,  just  before  moving  into  tlie  stockade. 
The  inside  furnishingrs  of  these  cabins  were  of  the  crudest 
kind,  all  being  cut  or  hewn  from  the  pine  trees  hard  by. 
Not  a  very  attractive  home,  my  readers  may  think.  No, 
but  the  best  that  could  be  provided  with  the  facilities  at 
hand. 

Now,  all  this  may  be  very  dry  and  uninteresting  to  the 
reader,  and  may  not  mean  much,  as  viewed  through  the 
mist  of  over  twenty  intervening  years,  but  it  meant  a  great 
deal  to  those  early  pioneers — it  meant  untold  hardships 
and  deprivation  of  the  comforts  of  life,  and  in  giving  these 
small  details,  it  has  been  the  desire  of  the  author  to  present 
a  true  picture  of  the  comfortless  homes  that  afforded  them 
shelter  and  place  of  refuge  at  that  trying  time,  as  by  these 
glimpses  into  the  past,  something  is  shown  of  how,  by 
brave  endurance  and  self-sacrifice,  the  way  was  made  clear 
for  the  civilization  which  followed. 

A    CONFLAGRATION    IN    CAMP. 

That  life  in  camp  on  French  creek,  pending  the  building 
of  the  stockade,  was  not  wholly  barren  of  exciting  incidents, 
will  be  shown  by  the  following  somewhat  dramatic  events, 
in  which  myself  and  the  donkey  enacted  the  leading  parts. 

Among  our  camping  equipments  was  a  gorgeous  red, 
white  and  blue  striped  tent, —  a  thing  of  beauty  and  of 
pride,  patterned  after  the  stripes  of  our  national  flag,  rep- 
resentino^  the  thirteen  original  colonies  now  embraced  in 
our  Union  of  States,  and  in  which  the  various  members  of 
our  firm  were  mutually  interested. 

Well,  one  day  when  alone  in  camp,  while  indulging  in 
my  usual  post-prandial  nap,  with  my  head  uneasily  reclin- 
ing on  a  huge  roll  of  bedding  within  the  tent,  I  felt  a  sort 
of  dreamy  sensation  of  abnormal  warmth  creeping  over  me, 
which  grew  hot,  and  still  hotter,  until  the  superlative  of 
heat  was  reached,  when  I  suddenly  awoke  to  find  myself 
almost  completely  enveloped  in  flame  and  smoke. 

At  a  glance  I  saw  that  the  entire  front  of  the  tent  was  in 


72  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

a  blaze,  which  was  spreading  above  and  around  me  with 
lightning  rapidity.  Springing  up,  I  hastily  tore  the  op- 
posite end  of  the  tent  free  from  its  fastenings  and  scram- 
bled out,  dragging,  by  the  strength  of  sheer  desperation, 
the  roll  of  bedding  after  me. 

Just  at  this  critical  moment,  when  I  had  given  up  the 
tent  as  doomed  to  utter  destruction,  one  of  the  men,  oppor- 
tunely, came  into  camp  for  some  mechanical  tool,  and, 
seeing  my  dilemma,  he  quickly  severed  the  guy  ropes,  thus 
letting  the  burning  tent  to  the  ground,  when,  by  some  vig- 
orous tramping,  the  fire  was  soon  smothered,  but  leaving 
only  a  few  smoke-blackened  fragments  of  the  once  beauti- 
ful canvas,  that  had  protected  us  from  the  wind  and  rain, 
snow  and  sleet,  for  so  many  dreary  nights  in  crossing  the 
plains.     Ah  !  I  could  have  wept. 

When  the  stockade  builders  returned  from  their  work 
that  night,  I  lost  no  time  in  revealing  to  those  affected, 
the  story  of  our  irreparable  loss  —  hiying  much  stress  upon 
the  lamentable  fact  that  we  were  then  left  without  even  a 
shelter  over  our  devoted  heads,  and  told  them  how  it  hap- 
pened. No,  I  didn't  tell  them  that  I  was  asleep  when  the 
cause  of  the  disaster  originated.  I  explained  to  them  how 
a  small  stream  of  flame  had  stolen  out  from  the  camp  fire 
near  by,  and  crept  slowly  and  stealthily  tentward,  until  it 
communicated  with  the  canvas,  and  — 

'*  Well,  where  were  you  all  the  time,  while  the  fire  was 
cr-e-e-ping  up  to  the  tent?"  interrupted  one  of  the  boys, 
sarcastically. 

"  Where  was  I?  Why,  I  was  in  the  tent,  of  course."  1 
answered,  guiltily. 

"And  you  didn't  see  the  fire  a-coming,  eh?"  he  re- 
turned. 

"  Well,  no,  not  until  it  was  too  late,"  I  meekly  replied. 

"That's  rather  strange,"  he  said,  with  just  a  hint  of 
suspicion  in  his  tone. 

He  then  plainly  intimated  that,  in  his  opinion,  the  catas- 
trophe was  altogether  the  result  of  criminal  carelessness  on 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS,  73 

my  part.  I  silently  stood  accused,  with  not  a  word  to 
offer  in  iny  own  defense. 

"  Well,  now,  Tom,  what's  the  use  of  crying  over  spilled 
milk?  "  chimed  in  another  of  the  boys. 

Now  that  the  ordeal  was  over,  impelled  by  a  spirit  of 
conciliation,  I  brought  forth  the  charred  remnants  and  laid 
them,  as  a  peace  offering,  at  their  feet,  with  the  suggestion 
that  they  apportion  them,  per  capita,  among  them. 

"  Great  Scott,"  said  Tom,  "  what  can  we  do  with  these 
rags?  You  might  as  well  throw  them  in  the  tire  and  let 
them  burn  like  the  balance." 

"  Oh  no,  I  won't  do  that,"  I  said.  "You  nia}^  need 
thera  to  patch  your  pants  with  when  the  flour  sacks 
are  all  gone." 

"That's  what,"  said  another. 

So  the  gaudy  pieces  were  put  away  and  portions  of  them 
were  finally  used  for  the  above  mentioned  purpose. 

THE  DONKEY  GETS  A  GOOD  SQUARE  MEAL. 

While  the  stockade  was  in  process  of  construction,  I  was, 
of  necessity,  left  the  sole  guardian  of  the  camp  properties, 
supplies,  etc.,  and  therefore  felt  morally  responsible  for 
their  safety. 

I  was  not  alone,  however  ;  my  only  companion  was  the 
donkey,  who  spent  his  time  for  the  most  part  within  the 
precincts  of  the  camp,  prowling  around  and  gazing  with 
pleading  eyes  and  ears  erect  in  at  the  opening  of  each 
tent  —  probably  to  spy  out  the  lay  of  the  land.  That  don- 
key of  ours,  since  his  advent  into  the  Black  Hills,  had  sub- 
sisted chiefly  on  mountain  scenery  and  the  choice  tid-bits 
of  bacon  rinds  and  gunny  sacks  that  had  been  thrown  out 
by  the  campers. 

Well,  one  day  he  took  it  into  his  long,  wise  head  to  treat 
himself  for  once  to  a  good  square  meal,  so,  protruding  his 
head  and  shoulders  into  one  of  the  tents  he  seized  about  a 
half  side  of  bacon,  which  was  carefully  wrapped  in  a  piece 
of  canvas,  then,  backing  out  with  his  ill-gotten  booty,  pro- 


74  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

ceeded  to  masticate  it  at  his  leisure.  I  think  he  knew 
beforehand  just  where   to  find  it. 

Observing  the  whole  daring  procedure  from  a  distance, 
and  keenly  realizing  that  I  would  be  called  upon  to  give  an 
account  of  my  stewardship,  I  immediately  rushed  to  the 
rescue  of  the  pillaged  property.  With  that  end  in  view,  I 
approached  the  head  of  the  little  gourmand  and  was  about  to 
grasp  the  canvas  that  hung  suspended  from  his  mouth 
when  he  turned  his  heels  upon  me  like  a  flash,  and  kicked 
as  only  that  branch  of  the  equine  race  can  kick.  But,  skill- 
fully dodging  his  vicious  heels  I  escaped  the  contact. 
Several  like  attempts  to  rescue  the  property  were  made 
with  similar  results. 

Having  an  unbounded  regard  for  the  heels  of  the  mule 
race,  and  deeming  '*  prudence  the  better  part  of  valor,"  I 
then  stood  at  a  respectful  distance  and  watched  the  bacon, 
canvas  and  all,  disappearing  down  the  burro's  throat. 

It  was  with  feelings  of  no  little  trepidation  that  I  ap- 
proached the  owners  of  the  pillaged  tent  that  night  and  in- 
formed them  of  what  had  happened  during  their  absence, 
and  of  my  heroic  eff'ort  to  save  their  property.  After  tell- 
ing them  how  the  donkey  bad  eaten  the  entire  proposition, 
one  of  them  queried:  "Did  he  fry  the  bacon,  or  eat  it 
raw?"  "No,"  I  replied.  "  He  didn't  wait  to  cooi?  it; 
he  seemed  to  prefer  it  raw."  To  my  great  relief  the  boys 
regarded  the  whole  affair  as  exceedingly  comical,  but  for 
the  life  of  me  I  couldn't  see  where  the  fun  came  in. 

The  16th  of  January  found  us  all  settled  in  our  respective 
quarters  within  the  walla  of  the  stockade.  Every  night  at 
sundown  the  huge  gate  was  closed  and  securely  barred, 
after  which  there  was  no  egress.  Yet,  even  within  those 
formidable  walls,  with  the  gate  strongly  barred,  I  did  not 
feel  that  we  were  any  too  safe.  Having  no  sentinels  posted 
out,  how  easy  for  Indians  to  stealthily  approach  the  stock- 
ade in  the  night  or  early  morning,  while  its  unguarded 
inmates  were  profoundly  sleeping,  scale  its  walls  and  mas- 
sacre every  one.     Visions  of  such  a  possibility  often  came 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  75 

up  before  me,  while  I  lay  awake  at  night,  listening  to  the 
midnight  howlinors  of  the  wolves  and  the  occasional  scream 
of  the  wild  cat,  which  sounded  so  like  the  human  voice, 
that  I  sometimes  felt  absolutely  sure  that  the  savages  must 
be  right  upon  ns.  I  could  almost  sec  the  sheen  of  their 
brandishing  scalping  knives  in  the  dark.  However,  such 
visions  were  soon  banished  —  giving  way  to  a  more  healthy 
condition  of  mind. 

Now  that  we  were  safely  entrenched  and  domiciled  for  the 
present,  what  of  the  future?  Everything  for  which  the 
expedition  was  undertaken  had  now  been  accomplished. 
The  long  hard  journey  with  its  varied  vicissitudes  had  been 
made,  and  gold,  the  prime  object,  had  been  found.  What 
next  was  to  be  done?  Evidently  it  would  not  do  to  remain 
inactive  in  our  safe  retreat  until  our  store  of  provisions 
was  exhausted,  or  until  our  ammunition  was  all  gone. 
Plainly,  communication  must  be  opened  with  the  outside 
world  at  all  hazards,  and  at  once,  before  the  Indians  should 
start  on  the  warpath,  thirsting  lor  vengeance  on  the  tres- 
passers on  their  rightful  domain,  and  before  the  govern- 
ment should  take  extreme  measures  to  prevent  reinforce- 
ments from  reaching  us. 

MESSENGERS    CARRY  OUT    THE    GLAD    TIDINGS. 

We  all  felt  satisfied  that  as  soon  as  the  people  were  as- 
sured of  our  success,  immigration  would  at  once  begin,  but 
to  accomplish  this  some  one  must  undertake  the  dangerous 
journey  back  to  civilization.  Who  would  have  the  hardi- 
hood to  undertake  such  a  ride  over  the  bleak  prairie  in  the 
depth  of  winter? 

No  difficulty  was  experienced  on  that  score,  as  Gordon 
and  Witcher  were  not  only  willing,  but  anxious  to  bear  out 
the  glad  tidings,  and  both  having  good  saddle  horses,  they 
were  of  course  conceded  the  honor. 

As  the  intelligence  to  be  sent  out  must  be  accompanied 
by  actual  gold  as  an  indisputable  voucher,  much  had  to 
be  done  in  the  way  of  making  preparations  for  the  journey. 


76  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

A  rude  rocker  was  constructed  out  of  one  of  the  wagon 
boxes,  when  several  days  were  spent  in  rocking  out  gold 
from  the  bed  of  French  creek,  resulting  in  the  production 
of  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  glittering  scales  to  prove  its 
existence  in  paying  quantities,  beyond  dispute. 

Many  letters,  too,  had  to  be  written  to  our  respective 
friends,  for  not  since  the  day  we  left  the  settlements  had  a 
single  word  been  communicated  to  those  left  behind.  Be- 
sides, on  the  day  we  left  camp  on  the  banks  of  the  "  Big 
Muddy,"  the  irrepressible  Charlie  Collins,  who  was  present 
to  bid  the  expedition  Godspeed  on  its  dangerous  journey, 
exacted  a  ))romise  from  several  members  of  the  party, 
myself  among  them,  to  send  back,  at  the  first  opportunity, 
letters  for  publication  in  the  Sioux  City  Times,  of  which  he 
was  then  editor,  and  as  fortunately  we  were  supplied  with 
material  the  promise  was  faithfully  kept. 

On  the  6th  day  of  February,  1875,  a  pack  horse  was 
loaded  with  the  necessary  supplies,  blankets,  ammunition, 
etc.,  when  the  two  plucky  men,  John  Gordon  and  Eaf 
Witcher,  mounted  their  horses  and  started  away  from  the 
stockade  with  the  gold,  and  numerous  messages  to  friends, 
on  their  winter's  journey,  across  the  untraveled,  snow-cov- 
ered plains  ;  civilization,  home,  and  friends  before,  and  an 
uncertain  fate  behind  for  Sioux  City.  Many  doubts  were 
expressed  as  they  rode  away  and  disappeared  in  the  timber 
as  to  the  probability  of  their  ever  reaching  their  destination. 
For  twenty-three  days  they  braved  the  storms  and  keen 
cutting  winds  of  the  prairie,  subsisting  on  poorly  prepared 
food,  frequently  being  unable  to  procure  the  necessary 
fuel  to  boil  a  cup  of  coffee.  For  twenty-three  nights  they 
wrapped  their  blankets  about  them  and  laid  down  on  the 
frozen  ground  or  in  a  hole  excavated  in  a  snow  drift,  and 
during  much  of  that  time  their  horses  had  to  paw  away  the 
snow  to  reach  the  grass  which  afforded  them  but  a  bare 
sustenance.     Poor  brutes  ! 

The  route  taken  by  them  was  in  a  southeasterly  direction 
to  the  Niobrara  river,  thence  along  the  valley  of  that  stream 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    OAIvOTAHS. 


77 


EAF    WITCHER, 

Taken  March  1,  1875,  on  his  return  from  the  Black  Hills 
to  Sioux  City. 


78  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

to  Yankton,  thence  down  the  Missouri  river  to  Sioux  City. 
Three  days  before  reaching  Yankton  their  supplies  became 
so  nearly  exhausted  that  they  were  reduced  to  quarter 
rations,  and  the  horses  had  almost  reached  the  point  of 
starvation.  When  about  a  day's  journey  distant  from 
Yankton,  Mr.  Gordon's  horse  gave  out  and  he  was 
obliged  to  halt  a  day  to  let  him  recuperate.  Meanwhile 
Eaf,  who  it  is  alleged  gave  Mr.  Gordon  the  slip,  was 
ridino-  awav  on  his  more  powerful  American  horse  post- 
haste to  Sioux  City,  reaching  that  point  twenty-four  hours 
in  advance  of  his  comrade.  When  Gordon  arrived  next 
day  with  the  gold  Eaf  was  having  a  gala  time  indeed.  He 
was  being  feted  and  banqueted,  and  I  don't  know  but  that 
he  was  carried  around  the  streets  upon  the  shoulders  of 
some  of  its  citizens.  As  to  that  tradition  is  silent.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  when  poor  Mr.  Gordon  arrived  on  the 
scene,  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people  had  reached  its  zenith. 

The  people  of  Sioux  City  naturally  felt  much  gratified 
and  elated  at  the  success  of  the  first  expedition,  as  it  was 
at  that  post  it  had  equipped  only  a  few  months  before. 

When  the  letters,  with  glaring  headlines,  appeared  in  the 
daily  papers  on  the  following  morning,  there  was  a  perfect 
furore  of  the  wildest  excitement,  which  however  was  not 
long  confined  to  Sioux  City  alone.  The  story  soon  spread 
to  the  remotest  bounds  of  our  country,  and  became  the  al- 
most universal  topic  of  conversation. 

From  that  time  government  lines  were  drawn  closer 
around  the  Sioux  domain,  and  hundreds  soon  began  to 
gather  along  the  borders,  seeking  for  some  loophole  to 
slip  through;  many  succeeded,  some  failed,  as  we  know. 

When  our  messengers  left  the  stockade  the  mutual 
understanding  was,  that  they  would  immediately  proceed  to 
organize  another  expedition,  steal  a  march  on  the  govern- 
ment, and  return  to  our  relief  with  reinforcements  and 
additional  supplies. 

Now  some  may  come  to  the  conclusion,  from  this  scheme, 
that  the  pioneers  of  1874  were  regular  fillibusters;  but  no, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    UAKOTAHS.  79 

they  were  neither  fillibusters,  freebooters,  nor  pirates,  but 
peaceable,  law-abiding  citizens  of  the  United  States  —  how- 
ever, '*  with  keen  eyes  to  the  main  chance." 

Mr.  Gordon,  in  accordance  with  the  plan  formulated, 
lost  no  time  in  organizing  another  expedition,  which  man- 
aged somehow  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  government, 
and  get  pretty  well  on  its  way  to  the  Hdls,  when  it  was  in- 
tercepted by  a  military  force,  the  wagons  and  supplies 
burned,  and  Gordon,  the  leader,  placed  under  military 
surveillance. 

The  twenty-two  men,  now  left  in  the  stockade,  spent  the 
long,  weary  weeks  of  waiting,  according  to  their  various 
inclinations  ;  some  rocked  gold  on  French  creek,  when  the 
weather  was  favorable,  others  spent  their  time  in  prospect- 
ing and  hunting  during  the  day,  and  —  well,  I  hardly  know 
how  they  did  spent  the  long  winter  evenings.  It  is 
thought,  however,  that  some  of  them  played  whist  and  the  old- 
fashioned  game  of  euchre,  or  an  occasional  friendly  game  of 
draw  poker  for  pastime,  as  such  terms  as  "Honors  are 
easy,"  ''  I  pass,"  etc.,  could  frequently  be  heard  from  the 
neighboring  cabins.  Why,  what  else  could  they  do,  in  the 
absence  of  newspapers  and  books,  to  occupy  the  mind? 
By  the  way,  I  did  manage  to  smuggle  in  "Milton's 
Paradise  Lost,"  and  a  funny  romance,  entitled  "The 
English  Orphans,"  on  leaving  civilization,  which  were 
read,  re-read  and  read  again,  until  every  word  from  Alpha 
to  Omega  was  printed  in  ever-living  characters  upon  the 
tablets  of  my  memory.  So  imbued  did  I  become  with  the 
spirit  and  sentiment  of  those  works,  that  I  felt  at  times,  as 
if  paradise  was  indeed  lost  to  me, —  never  to  be  regained, 
while  at  other  times  I  felt  myself  growing  very  much  like 
"Sal.  Furbish"  in  the  English  Orphans.  Didn't  I  enjoy 
life  in  the  stockade?  Oh,  that  mine  enemy  might  be  con- 
demned to  spend  a  winter  under  like  circumstances  and 
conditions,  —  but  no,  I  could  not  wish  that  even  my 
deadliest  foe  be  so  cruelly  punished. 

Imagine  yourself  imprisoned  within  the  gloomy  walls  of 


80  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

an  inclosure,  and  more  closely  confined  within  the  still 
gloomier  walls  of  a  cell-like  cabin,  with  no  work  for  mind 
or  hand  to  do,  and  with  an  uncertain  fate  hanging  over  your 
head,  and  you  may  be  able  to  form  a  faint  conception  of 
the  misery  of  life  in  the  old  stockade  during  the  memo- 
rable winter  of  1874-5.  The  very  remembrance  causes 
ague  chills  to  creep  rapidly  along  the  spinal  column. 
Sooner  by  far  would  I  take  my  chances  with  the  Sioux 
Indians  out  on  the  open  plain.  This  gloomy  picture  of  life 
in  the  stockade,  let  it  be  understood,  its  but  a  reflex  of  my 
own  individual  experience,  and  not  of  my  companions,  who 
perhaps  took  a  more  optimistic  view  of  the  situation.  Yet, 
it  is  certain  that  time  hung  heavily  on  the  hands  of  every 
one  within  the  walls  of  the  stockade. 

When  vigilance  began  to  relax  and  the  warm  days  of 
early  spring  came  I  frequently  ventured  out  to  wander 
about  on  the  sunny  slopes  of  the  adjacent  hills,  incidentally 
looking  for  gold  which  I  expected  to  find  scattered  about 
quite  plentifully  along  the  hillsides  and  in  the  gulches. 
No,  I  didn't  find  any  worth  speaking  of.  I  was  pre-emi- 
nently a  tender-foot  then,  since,  however,  I  have  had  numer- 
ous object  lessons,  which  have  made  me  a  wiser  if  not 
better  woman.  In  taking  these  long  rambles  I  was  very 
careful  not  to  lose  sight  of  the  stockade,  as  despite  its 
gloom  it  afforded  a  haven  of  safety  in  case  of  danger. 

These  pleasant  excursions  were  brought,  by.  an  amusing 
incident,  to  an  abrupt  termination.  One  day  while  seated 
on  a  large  boulder  of  quartz  on  the  top  of  a  low  hill  drink- 
ing the  wonderful  beauty  of  the  surrounding  landscape, 
my  eyes  chanced  to  glance  down  the  valley  below,  when 
they  became  riveted  by  a  sort  of  fascination  on  a  clump  of 
bushes,  among  which  I  detected  a  slight  unnatural  move- 
ment. While  looking,  lo,  the  bushes  became  violently 
agitated,  swaying  back  and  forth  in  a  very  suspicious 
manner  as  if  an  Indian  was  lurking  among  its  branches. 

I  hesitated  no  longer.  Over  boulders  and  jagged  rocks 
I  went  down  the  slope,  but  1  have  never  been  quite  able  to 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  81 

understand  just  how  I  readied  the  bottom  of  that  hill.  All 
I  know  is  that  I  got  there  and  didn't  stand  on  the  order  of 
my  going.  Along  up  the  valley  I  ran  with  the  fleetness  of 
a  professional  sprinter,  through  the  bushes,  over  fallen 
trees,  clearing  every  obstruction  with  a  bound.  I  fairly 
flew,  fear  adding  speed  to  my  wings,  until  reaching  within 
a  short  distance  of  the  stockade,  when  I  was  forced  to 
make  a  slight  detour  to  avoid  the  bullets  that  were  coming 
directly  towards  me  on  my  line  of  flight.  The  boys  were 
shooting  at  a  mark  blazed  on  a  tree  a  little  below  the  stock- 
ade, where  I  stopped  to  look  back  to  see  how  many  Indians 
were  following  on  my  trail,  and  I  must  confess  to  a  feel- 
ing of  no  little  disappointment  that  I  was  not  being  pur- 
sued by  a  band  of  Sioux,  in  war  paint.  Such  a  splendid 
chance  to  become  the  heroine  of  a  thrilling  adventure  and 
a  hair-breadth  escape  was  lost. 

I  arrived  at  the  stockade  breathless  and  excited,  and 
when  questioned  as  to  the  cause  of  my  perturbation,  I  an- 
swered, evasively,  "Oh,  nothing  much.  It  was  probably 
nothing  more  than  a  mountain  lion,  or  wild  cat,  or  per- 
chance an  innocent  rabbit."  It  is  needless  to  say  that  from 
that  time  I  kept  religiously  behind  the  entrenchments. 

TWO  MORE  LEAVE  THE  STOCKADE. 

Shortly  after  Messrs.  Gordon  and  Witcher  left  for  Sioux 
City  with  the  gold,  two  more  of  our  number  began  to 
devise  ways  and  means  for  returning  to  civilization.  To 
accomplish  their  purpose,  they  by  their  combined  ingen- 
uity, planned  a  small  vehicle  to  transport  their  supplies, 
blankets,  and  other  belongings  to  Fort  Laramie.  The 
affair  was  to  be  a  kind  of  dual  combination  of  part  cart  and 
part  sled,  and  really  showed  a  good  deal  of  foresight  on 
the  part  of  the  designers,  who  shrewdly  reasoned  that 
while  there  was  deep  snow  in  the  hills  there  might  be 
none  outside.  No,  they  were  not  intending  to  draw  the 
very  peculiar  rig  themselves,  although  if  their  going  out  had 
hinged  upon  that  alternative,  they  would  not  for  a  moment 

6 


82  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

have  hesitated  to  hitch  themselves?  to  the  car,  but  fortune 
smiled  upon  the  two  homesick  tender  feet  for  once,  at  least. 
Blackwell  and  McLaren  were  providentially  the  owners  of 
a  single  ox  —  free  from  all  incumbrance,  that  was  to  be  used 
as  the  motor  power,  and  for  which  a  kind  of  harness  was 
made  of  skins  and  such  other  material  as  was  available. 
This  one  emaciated  ox  was  all  that  was  left  to  the  poor 
fellows  of  their  original  investment  in  the  expedition. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th  day  of  Februar}^  their 
unique  contrivance  being  complete,  the  vehicle  was  loaded 
with  provisions,  blankets,  etc.,  the  motive  power  attached, 
and  the  fragile-looking  outfit  was  ready  to  pull  out  on  its 
terribly  perilous  journey  to  Fort  Laramie. 

It  would  indeed  be  difficult  to  imagine  anything  more 
grotesquely  ludicrous  than  the  spectacle  they  presented, 
as  they  marched  away  from  the  stockade.  Of  course,  we 
all  felt  sad  to  see  them  go,  but  we  could  not  help  laughing 
at  the  little  outfit  as  it  started  away  from  the  stockade. 
The  poor,  bony,  half-starved  ox  trigged  out  in  his  motley 
harness,  hitched  to  the  Liliputian  vehicle  —  not  much 
larger  than  a  good-sized  hand  sled,  piled  up  high  with  its 
load  of  supplies,  blankets,  etc.,  and  the  wheels  of  the  con- 
trivance strapped  on  top,  venturing  out  in  the  winter,  on  a 
journey  of  two  hundred  miles  through  a  hostile  country, 
was  a  sight  —  the  very  pathos  of  which  made  it  irresistibly 
funny.  It  scarcely  seemed  possible  that  they  would  ever 
reach  Fort  Laramie  alive. 

As  night  approached,  the  wrecked  craft  returned.  Some- 
thing had  given  out  or  weakened,  obliging  them  to  put 
back  to  the  stockade  for  repairs.  The  next  morning  they 
started  away  again,  and  the  poor  fellows  were  seen  no 
more. 

Blackwell  and  McLaren  never  returned  to  the  Hills,  for, 
according  to  their  own  declaration,  they  had  had  enough  of 
them  to  last  the  balance  of  their  lives,  and  would  have 
turned  back  long  before  reaching  the  Hills,  had  it  been 
possible.     Mr.    Blackwell    especially   was    homesick   from 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  83 

the  day  be  left  the  last  settlement.  A  brave  fellow 
he  was,  nevertheless.  "  Well,"  he  said  one  day,  while 
en  route,  "  this  is  the  worst  pill  I  was  ever  compelled  to 
swallow,"  and  as  I  have  swallowed  a  good  many  doses  of 
the  same  kind  of  pills,  I  am  prepared  to  vouch  for  the 
probable  correctness  of  his  assertion. 

The  infection  spread,  for  about  three  weeks  later,  or  on 
the  6th  of  March,  four  others  of  our  already  small  band 
marched  away  from  the  stockade  for  Fort  Laramie,  viz., 
Newton  Warren  (happy  Uncle  Nute),  D.  McDonald  (Red 
Dan),  J.  J.  Williams,  and  Henry  Thomas,  —  but,  ah,  I  for- 
got, there  were  five  of  them  —  the  donkey  left  the  Black 
Hills  at  the  same  time  for  good,  and  never  after  did  his 
musical  notes  echo  through  the  picturesque  hills  of  the 
great  Golconda.  Two  of  the  deserters,  having  saddle 
horses,  rode  away  with  blankets  strapped  onto  their  saddles 
behind,  and  guns  across  the  pommels  in  front ;  another  had 
the  donkey,  but  tradition  is  silent  as  to  whether  he  rode 
him  out  or  packed  him  with  his  belongings  and  walked  by 
his  side,  —  that  must  be  left  to  conjecture.  J.  J.  Williams, 
with  gun  across  his  shoulder,  and  pack  on  his  back,  walked 
out,  and  through  the  deep  snow  of  the  trackless  forest  it  was 
no  easy  task,  methinks.  Our  force  was  now  reduced  to 
eighteen  men. 

Six  weeks  had  elapsed  since  our  messengers  had  left  us, 
and  grave  doubts  began  to  arise  in  our  minds  as  to  the 
probability  of  reinforcements  ever  reaching  us.  Perhaps 
by  this  time  the  strong  arm  of  the  government  had  inter- 
vened to  prevent  any  farther  trespass  on  the  Sioux 
domain.  Still  we  looked  anxiously  from  day  to  day  for 
some  tidings  from  the  men,  who  had  carried  the  proof  of 
our  safety  and  success  to  the  world. 

Our  situation,  nothwithstanding  the  strength  of  our 
position,  was  neither  an  enviable,  nor  a  pleasant  one; 
realizing,  as  we  did,  that  the  Indians  would  soon  be  leav- 
ing (if  they  had  not  already  left),  the  agencies  on  their 
mission  of  revenge.     In  view  of  this,  well   knowing    the 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

modes  of  the  iDclians,  every  precaution  was  taken  to  guard 
against  their  depredations,  or  an  attack.  All  combustible 
substances,  such  as  fragments  of  pine,  brush,  etc.,  were 
gathered  into  piles  and  burned;  even  the  grass  for  some 
distance  around  the  stockade  was  burned  to  the  roots. 
Every  one  familiar  with  the  methods  of  the  Indians  knows, 
that  burning  the  enemy  out  is  their  sure  resort,  when  all 
other  means  fail. 

During  the  month  of  March,  1875,  the  pioneers  of  1874 
surveyed  and  platted  the  first  town  site  in  the  Black  Hills, 
on  French  creek,  in  that  little  dimple  in  the  hills  where 
stood  the  stockade.  By  the  aid  of  a  picket,  rope,  and  a 
small  pocket  compass,  the  site  was  laid  out  into  blocks  and 
streets  and  christened  Harney  City  in  honor  of  the  great 
Indian  fighter,  Gen.  Harney.  Log.. foundations  were  laid 
on  the  corner  lots  of  the  principal  streets  by  the  fortunate 
ones  who  drew  them.  It  is  now  amusing  to  recall  how 
anxious  I  was  to  draw  a  desirable  or  central  corner  lot, 
in  what  was  confidently  prophesied  was  destined  to 
become  the  metropolis  of  the  coming  golden  empire. 

April  was  finally  ushered  in  with  one  of  the  blinding 
snow  storms  so  common  in  Dakota  during  that  month. 
The  wind  blew  fierce  and  cold,  piling  up  the  snow  in  drifts 
all  throuf^h  the  nooks  and  crannies  of  the  Hills,  and  scatter- 
ino-  our  poor  cattle  in  every  direction  —  anywhere  to  find 
shelter  from  the  driving  storm. 

THE      STOCKADE      PARTY      TAKEN      OUT      OF      THE      HILLS       BY 
THE  MILITARY. 

One  evening  during  this  storm,  just  as  the  great  gate 
was  about  to  be  closed  and  barred  for  the  night,  four  men, 
unheralded  and  unbidden,  rode  boldly  right  into  our 
stronghold,  causing  no  little  consternation  and  excitement 
in  our  usually  quiet  little  community.  At  first  sight  they 
were  thought  to  be  the  vanguard  of  our  expected  reinforce- 
ments, but  upon  a  second  look  it  was  seen  that  two  of  our 
visitors  were  in  military  uniform,  while,  in  the  other  two 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  85 

we  recognized  the  familiar  faces  of  our  quondam  comrades, 
J.  J.  Williams  and  Dan  McDonald,  who,  as  emissaries  o/ 
Uncle  Sam,  had  also  donned  soldier's  clothes.  The  blue 
coats  and  brass  buttons  betrayed  their  mission.  It  devel- 
oped then  that  the  four  men  who  had  left  the  stockade  on 
the  6th  of  March,  had  after  a  hard  journey  of  eight  days 
reached  Fort  Laramie  in  safety,  though  not  without  en- 
countering Indians.  As  the  little  party  were  crossing  the 
head  of  Red  Canyon,  they  were  confronted  by  two  well- 
armed  mounted  braves  riding  directly  towards  them.  Na- 
turally the  boys  were  slightly  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of 
an  encounter  with  the  two  burly  savages,  but  they  immedi- 
ately leveled  their  guns  at  the  approaching  Indians,  who 
by  frantic  gesticulations  made  it  known  that  they  were  not 
hostile,  but  "  good  Injuns."  They  also  encountered  a 
large  band  of  Indians  and  squaws  with  papooses,  on  the 
Cheyenne  river,  who  made  no  hostile  demonstrations. 

After  a  few  days  for  rest  and  recuperation  two  of  the 
party  proceeded  on  their  journey  homeward,  while  the 
other  two  were  detained  to  guide  the  soldiers  back  to  the 
quarters  of  the  pioneers  in  the  Hills.  And  that  is  how  we 
were  at  last  found. 

The  four  mounted  men  who  rode,  unannounced,  into  our 
midst  on  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  April,  proved  to  be  J. 
J.  Williams,  Dan  McDonald,  and  two  lieutenants  in  the  Sec- 
ond United  States  Cavalry,  detailed  from  their  camp  twelve 
miles  below,  bearing  orders  to  our  party  to  make  imme- 
diate preparations  for  leaving  the  Black  Hills.  The  entire 
force  sent  to  remove  the  trespassers,  consisted  of  a  troop 
of  cavalry,  about  twenty-five  pack  mules  and  a  large  train 
of  wagons,  to  carry  rations  and  forage,  and  an  ambulance 
for  the  use  of  the  female  trespasser,  all  under  the  com- 
mand of  Capt.  Mix,  of  the  Second  United  States  Cavalry. 

We  were  proclaimed  prisoners,  although  no  formal 
arrests  were  made,  and  given  just  twenty-four  hours  to 
hunt  our  scattered  stock  and  make  other  needful  prepara- 
tions for  leaving  the   stockade.     Instructions  were  given, 


86 


THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


that  nothing  but  the  necessary  articles  of  clothing,  blank- 
ets, etc.,  and  enough  provisions  to  serve  until  reaching 
Fort  Laramie,  could  be  transported. 

The  next  day  was  a  busy  one  —  a  day  spent  in  preparing 
to  give  up  all  that  we  had  risked  our  lives  to  attain.  Some 
started  out  in  search  of  the  stock,  that  had  been  scattered 
to  the  four  winds  by  the  storm,  while  others  were  putting" 
together  such  few  articles  as  could  be  taken,  and  caching 
or  hiding  such  property  as  must  be  left  behind.  All 
mining  implements,  mechanics'  tools,  chains,  etc.,  had  to 
be  left. 

The  writer  of  this  story  cached  a  trunk  containing  all 
her  worldly  goods,  and  although  she  has  been  searching 
diligently  for  more  than  two  decades,  her  eyes  have  never 
yet  been  gladdened  by  a  sight  of  the  trunk,  or  a  single 
article  of  its  contents. 

The  limited  time  allowed  us  for  preparations  had  ex- 
pired. The  search  for  the  stock  had  proved,  in  part, 
fruitless  — only  about  half  having  been  found;  our  goods 
and  chattels  had  been  cached  and  our  little  bundles  tied 
up,  and  we  were  ready  to  be  marched  out  of  the  land  of 
promise,  to  that  from  which  we  came. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  87 


CHAPTER    YIII. 

RIDING  OUT  OF  THE  BLACK  HILLS  ON  A  GOVERNMENT  MULE. 

I  woiulcr  if  any  of  my  fair  readers  ever  rode  a  govern- 
ment mule,  or  any  kind  of  a  mule  for  that  matter,  for  a 
mule  is  a  mule  the  world  over.  If  not,  they,  of  course, 
know  nothing  of  the  exhilaration,  the  real  keen  enjoyment 
such  a  ride  affords,  and  have  lost  much  of  earth's  pleasures. 
I  have  had  that  delectable  experience,  and  it  furnished  me 
more  genuine  amusement  to  the  square  inch  than  I  ever 
had  either  before  or  since,  and  this  is  how  it  happened. 
The  troops  ordered  in  to  take  us  out  of  the  Black  Hills,  sup- 
posing it  impracticable  to  reach  the  stockade  through  the 
rugged  hills  with  their  wagons,  went  into  camp,  about 
twelve  miles  below,  thus  making  it  necessary  to  send  in 
pack  mules  to  carry  out  our  belongings. 

About  9.30  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  sixth  of  April, 
a  troop  of  cavalry  with  their  high  stepping,  glossy  steeds, 
and  about  twenty-five  pack  mules,  put  in  their  appearance 
at  the  stockade,  and,  as  everything  was  in  readiness,  it 
took  but  a  short  time  to  load  and  strap  our  goods  on  to  the 
pack  saddles.  That  being  accomplished,  it  developed  that 
there  was  one  more  mule  than  was  needed  for  packing  pur- 
poses. Now,  to  this  extra  pack  mule  —  whether  by  pre- 
vious design  or  otherwise  is  a  matter  for  conjecture  —  was 
assigned  the  honor  (  ?)  of  carrying  out  the  first  white 
woman  to  enter  the  Black  Hills. 

The  boys,  or  most  of  them,  having  no  saddle  horses,  of 
course  had  to  walk  to  the  camp  below,  so  started  a  little 
in  advance  driving  the  few  cattle  that  were  found  before 
them;  but  —  what  was  1  to  do? 

Just  as  I  was  revolving  this  vital  question  in  my  mind,  one 


88  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

of  the  men  having  charjre  of  the  mules  —  or  a  muleteer  — 
appeared  at  the  door  of  our  cabin,  where  I  stood  in  a  some- 
what uncertain  state  of  mind,  and  inquired:  "  Well,  mum, 
what  are  you  a  goin'  to  do?  Kide  or  walk?  "  Fully  appre- 
ciating his  generosity  in  thus  allowing  me  the  choice  of  two 
alternatives,  I  told  him  with  some  asperity,  that  I  had  walked 
into  the  Black  Hills,  and,  if  necessary,  could  easily  walk 
out,  but,  I  added,  "as  the  snow  is  pretty  deep,  I  would 
prefer  to  ride  if  there  is  a  way  provided." 

'*  Did  you  ever  ride  much  on  horseback?"  he  asked.  I 
very  modestly  informed  him  that  I  was  a  skilled  horse- 
woman, and  was  perfectly  at  home  on  the  saddle,  as  I  had 
ridden  more  or  less  from  childhood  up. 

'*  Oh,  well,  I  think  we  can  fix  it  all  right.  The  command 
is  ready  to  march,  and  we  had  better  be  a  startin',"  he  said. 

Thus  urged  I  donned  my  hood  and  wraps  and  followed 
him  out  through  the  wide  gate,  with  a  throb  in  my  heart, 
and  a  tear  in  each  eye  —  I  felt  it  was  for  the  last  time  — 
and  there,  before  my  astonished  vision,  stood  the  prancing, 
dancing  steed  I  had  been  expecting  to  ride,  transformed  into 
an  old,  scarred  mule,  several  hands  higher  than  any  mule  I 
had  ever  seen  before;  with  head  bowed  down  with  the 
weight  of  accumulated  years,  and  a  long  apprenticeship  in 
military  service,  and  the  full  modicum  of  "  cheek  "  of  the 
traditional  government  mule,  and,  to  cap  the  climax,  a 
masculine  saddle  on  his  back.      I  stood  aghast. 

"  Jupiter,  Olympus,"  I  cried,  "  you  don't  expect  me  to 
ride  that  beast  to  camp,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles,  do 
you?"  "  I  guess  you'll  have  to,  or  walk,"  he  answered. 
After  making  a  careful  mental  estimate  of  the  distance 
from  the  saddle  to  the  ground,  1  concluded  it  would  be  an 
extremely  hazardous  undertaking,  so  I  pleaded;  "  No,  1 
can't  do  it.  If  I  should  be  thrown,  it  would  be  almost 
certain  death."  "All  right,  you're  the  doctor,"  he 
answered  nochalantly. 

Now,  if  I  had  been  modeled  after  the  pattern  of  the  "new 
woman,"  or  if  I  had  been  a  little  less  conservative,  thedif- 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS, 


89 


ficulty,  in  part,  might  have  been  overcome.  However,  I 
finally  concluded  to  accept  the  situation,  so  asked  the 
muleteer  to  tighten  up  the  saddle  girth  a  little  and  I  would 
try  it.  Did  you  ever  know  of  a  woman  venturing  on  a 
saddle,  without  first  making  sure  that  the  girth  was  safely 

tight? 

My  attendant  signified  his  willingness  to  humor  my 
whim,  so  unbuckling  the  strap,  he  gave  it  a  vigorous  pull, 
when  the  mule,  in  physical  protest  against  the  proceedings, 
besan  to  increase,  by  inflation  and  expansion,  his  already 
abnormal  circumference  ;  and,  in  further  protest,  uttered 
a  series  of  such  alarming  groans  or  grunts,  at  the  same 
lime  looking  back  with  appealing  eyes,  moist  with  unshed 
tears,"  as  much  as  to  say,  ''Please,  don't,"  that  I  was 
moved  to  relent,  thinking  that  the  poor  brute  was  in  the 
last  throes  of  dissolution.  So  I  told  the  man  to  leave  the 
girth  as  it  was,  and  I  would  take  my  chances. 

At  that  moment,  the  inspiring  bugle  notes  gave  the 
sit^nal"  mount,"  when  the  whole  command  simultaneously 
vaulted  into  their  saddles  — that  is,  all  but  the  muleteer 
and  I.  Another  bugle  signal  of  "  Forward,  march  ! "  was 
sounded,  and  the  column  marched  on  in  double  file.  I 
was  struck  at  the  time  by  the  beauty  and  perfection  of 
ihe  discipline  maintained  in  the  regular  army. 

"  Now,  just  put  your  foot  in  my  hand,  and  I'll  help  you 
onto  the  mule,"  said  my  attendant.  I  did  as  directed, 
and  with  an  agile  spring  that  would  have  done  credit  to  an 
acrobat,  I  was  landed  safely  into  the  saddle. 

"  There  you  are,"  said  he,  and  sure  enough,  there  I 
was,  perched  on  the  back  of  a  "  government  mule."  He 
placed  my  foot  in  the  stirrup,  carefully  arranged  my  some- 
what abbreviated  riding  skirt,  then  after  one  long,  lingering 
look  at  the  old  stockade  and  its  environments,  to  get  a  last 
impression  of  the  place  where  I  had  spent  so  many  weary, 
anxious  days  and  nights,  we  started  off  down  the  valley  at 
a  tolerably  brisk  pace,  soon  overtaking  and  joining  the 
calvacade  which  was  a  little  in  advance.     Just  at  this  junc- 


90  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

ture  we  came  to  a  point  where  French  creek  crossed  the 
gulch,  and  do  you  suppose  that  mule  could  be  induced  by 
any  peaceable  measures  to  wade  the  stream?  No,  not  a 
bit  of  it,  I  urged  and  coaxed  and  patted  and  thrust  my 
heel  vigorously  into  his  side  (I  had  no  spurs),  but  without- 
avail.  Forced  to  resort  to  heroic  methods,  I  threatened  a 
while  (no,  I  didn't  punctuate  my  threats  with  any  very 
strong  adjectives)  and  finally  dealt  him  a  sudden  blow  with 
my  whip  (a  willow  rod  cut  from  the  bushes  bordering 
French  creek),  whereupon  the  mule  suddenly  reared,  and 
made  a  flying  leap  across,  landing  on  the  opposite  side  on 
all  fours.  Of  course  I  was  greatly  astonished  at  such  an 
eccentric  feat  on  the  part  of  the  mule  —  especially  so,  as  I 
had  considered  him  old  enough  to  be  more  dignified,  but 
was  not  in  the  least  disconcerted.  I  managed  somehow  to 
maintain  my  equilibrium  on  the  saddle,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  I  was  taken  completely  off  my  guard. 
'•  Be  careful  now  and  hold  fast  to  the  saddle  or  he  will 
throw  you  in  to  the  middle  of  next  week,"  cried  my  escort 
in  apparent  alarm.  So  as  I  had  no  ambition  to  be  precip- 
itated into  the  future  in  such  an  unceremonious  man- 
ner, I  did  afterward  hold  on  to  the  saddle  with  such  a 
grip  that  no  natural  forces  —  not  even  an  earthquake,  could 
have  unseated  me. 

At  each  of  the  crossings  of  that  crooked,  meandering 
stream,  the  mule  resolutely  refused  to  go  into  the  water, 
always  leaping  across  after  his  own  fashion.  However, 
after  several  crossings  were  successfully  made  I  had 
learned  to  adapt  myself  to  the  motions  of  the  mule,  and 
had  gained  so  much  confidence  in  my  own  skill  that  I  soon 
loosened  my  vice-like  grip  on  the  saddle  altogether. 

At  one  of  the  crossings,  while  I  was  fiercely  struggling  to 
obtain  the  mastery  over  the  stubborn  proclivities  of  the 
mule,  a  dashing  young  lieutenant  suddenly  wheeled  out  of 
his  position  on  the  flank  of  the  column,  rode  back,  and 
politely  off'ered  to  exchange  mounts  with  me.  What  im- 
pelled him  to  such  an  act  of  gallantry  was,  and  is,  largely 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.      91 

conjectural ;  however,  as  I  had  a  pretty  well-grounded  sus- 
picion that  some  of  the  troopers,  both  privates  and  officers, 
were  having  a  good  deal  of  amusement  at  our  expense  — 
that  is,  at  mine  and  the  mule's  —  I  positively  but  courte- 
ously declined  the  proffer.  Did  they  select  that  mule  for 
my  use  with  "  malice  prepense?"  or  did  they  not?  That 
was  the  question.  With  this  suspicion  uppermost  in  my 
mind  I  assured  him  that  I  was  well  satisfied  with  my  mount 
and  was  getting  along  splendidly.  I  was  determined  to 
ride  that  mule  to  camp  despite  his  eccentricities,  or  die  in 
the  attempt;  besides,  to  be  candid,  I  would  not  have  dared 
to  venture  on  the  back  of  the  splendid,  high-mettled  animal 
rode  by  the  dashing,  debonnair  young  lieutenant. 

After  about  two  hours'  ride  we  came  in  sight  of  the  mil- 
itary camp  dotted  over  with  numerous  white  tents,  and  the 
blue-coated  soldiers,  who  had  already  reached  camp,  mov- 
ing about  under  the  scattered  trees.  A  little  removed  from 
the  others  was  noticed  a  smaller  group  of  tents,  the  head- 
quarters of  Capt.  Mix  and  his  staff  —  a  distinction  always 
observable  in  military  camps,  I  have  learned  since  then. 

Anxious  to  avoid  making  any  further  display  of  equestri- 
enneship,  I  decided  to  dismount  at  this  point  and  walk  into 
camp,  a  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  such  a  matter,  so 
I  slid  down  from  the  saddle  —  as  gracefully  as  could  be 
expected  from  such  a  lofty  position,  but  instead  of  stand- 
ing on  my  feet  as  I  naturally  expected  to  do,  I  fell  to  the 
ground  in  a  helpless  heap,  benumbed  in  every  limb,  utterly 
paralyzed.  The  muleteer,  who  had  kept  faithfully  at  my 
side  since  leaving  the  stockade,  quickly  dismounting,  very 
compassionately  offered  to  assist  me  to  my  feet,  but  I  per- 
emptorily ordered  him  away  and  told  him  to  hasten  with 
all  possible  speed  into  camp,  with  my  mule,  and  tell  the 
boys  that  a  woman  was  lying  helpless,  perchance  dying, 
back  on  the  trail,  desiring  immediate  spiritual  consolation. 
The  obedient  muleteer  had  not  proceded  far  towards  camp, 
however,  before  a  peculiar  sensation,  like  the  puncture  of 
a  million  needles,  began  to  creep  over  me,  and  when  upon 


92  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

essaying  to  rise,  I  found  that  I  could  stand  on  my  feet ;  the 
blood  went  coursing  through  my  cramped  members  and 
soon  I  was  briskly  wending  my  way  into  camp,  none  the 
worse  for  my  twelve  miles'  ride  on  a  government  mule. 

On  my  arrival  at  camp  I  was  escorted  to  a  comfortable 
tent,  that  had  been  provided  for  my  accommodation, 
where  I  was  directly  visited  by  Capt.  Mix,  whom  I  had 
not  before  seen.  Very  soon  the  captain's  aid  appeared  at 
the  entrance  and  handed  in  a  sumptuous  lunch  —  a  lunch 
that  would  have  tempted  the  appetite  of  the  most  dainty 
epicure  —  with  the  compliments  of  Capt.  Mix,  and  to 
which  my  readers  may  be  assured  ample  justice  was  done. 
Enjoy  it?  Well,  rather;  I  had  become  very  tired  of  bacon 
and  beans  straight. 

Here  we  were  told  by  Capt.  Mix  that  we  had  been  in 
far  greater  peril  than  we  dreamed  of,  for,  he  said,  on 
reaching  a  high  point  about  fifty  miles  from  the  Hills,  with 
his  command,  the  signal  fires  kindled  by  the  Indians  who 
had  already  surrounded  the  Hills  could  plainly  be  seen, 
and  also  that  forced  marches  had  been  ordered  that  our 
imperiled  little  party  might  be  reached  before  being  mas- 
sacred by  the  incensed  savages.  It  was  found  on  reaching 
camp,  that  an  ambulance  had  been  provided  to  convey  the 
female  prisoner  from  the  Black  Hills,  much  to  said  pris- 
oner's gratification. 

The  next  day,  April  7th,  at  the  customary  bugle  signal, 
the  march  was  resumed  towards  Foit  Laramie,  nothing  of 
special  importance  occurring  until  nearing  Red  Cloud 
Agency.  When  a  few  miles  distant  from  that  point 
the  train  was  met  by  a  Frenchman,  named  Baptiste, 
bearing  a  message  from  the  agent  in  charge  at  the  post, 
warning  Capt.  Mix  of  the  hostile  attitude  of  the  Indians, 
who  were,  he  said,  making  threats  of  saguinary  vengeance 
on  the  invaders  as  soon  as  they  showed  their  faces  at  the 
agency,  and  advising  the  captain  to  conceal  all  the  Black 
Hillers  under  the  canvas  of  the  wagons  of  the  train. 
Capt.  Mix  told  the  boys  of  the  fate  in  store  for  them,  and 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  03 

advised  them  all  to  get  to  cover  as  quickly  as  possible; 
the  boys,  however,  resented  the  proposition  with  much 
scorn.  They  were  not  made  of  the  kind  of  material  im- 
plied in  such  a  course.  Not  only  did  they  not  hide  under 
the  canvas  covers,  but  on  reaching  the  agency  they  cir- 
culated freely  among  the  Indians  who  were  gathered  there 
in  large  number  awaiting  their  arrival — of  course  their 
guns  were  well  in  band,  and  no  doubt  their  very  boldness 
disarmed  the  savages  —  but  instead  of  proceeding  to  wreak 
vengeance  on  the  real  culprits,  they  seemed  to  vent  their 
entire  displeasure  on  the  only  innocent  member  of  the 
party.  The  ambulance  in  which  I  was  seated  was  imme- 
diately surrrounded  by  about  a  dozen  of  the  most  diabolical 
looking  specimens  of  the  human  form  it  had  ever  been  mv 
misfortune  to  see.  They  surveyed  me  with  such  malio-Qaut 
curiosity  from  every  possible  point  of  view,  expressing  their 
entire  disapproval  of  meby  numerous  suggestivegestures  and 
grunts,  that  I  really  became  greatly  alarmed  for  mv  own 
pei'sonal  safety,  and  ordered  the  curtains  of  the  ambulance 
closed  that  I  might  be  hidden  from  their  vindictive  gaze. 
Even  then  their  hideous  faces  could  be  seen  peerino-  in  at 
me  through  every  nperture,  causing  a  sensation  to  creep 
over  me,  as  if  pierced  by  a  dozen  sharp-pointed  arrows. 

I  don't  know  why,  but  those  mistaken  and  misguided 
savages  seemed  to  regard  me  as  the  arch-trespasser  of  the 
party — the  very  head  and  front  of  the  whole  offending; 
and  I  feel  sure  that  had  it  not  been  for  the  presence 
of  the  troops,  I  would  have  been  speedily  disposed  of  then 
and  there,  and  my  scalp  would  have  graced  the  belt  of  one  of 
those  inhuman  savages.  We  were  afterward  informed  that 
the  military  force  had  some  difficulty  in  preventing  an  out- 
break, so  wrought  up  were  the  Indians  over  such  a  wanton 
breach  of  their  treaty  rights. 

Our  stay  at  the  agency  was  not  a  prolonged  one,  and 
greatly  was  I  relieved  when  the  welcome  bugle  notes 
sounded  the  signal  to  "  march  !" 

Although   prisoners,   we  were  treated  with  the   utmost 


94  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

consideration  by  both  oflScers  and  men  on  our  march  to 
Fort  Laramie.  Every  day  a  carefully  prepared  lunch  was 
sent  to  our  tent  with  the  compliments  of  the  gallant  cap- 
tain. Whether  this  was  done  as  a  mere  act  of  common 
courtesy,  or  prompted  by  a  feeling  of  commiseration  for 
my  truly  forlorn  appearance,  and  my  "lean  and  hungry 
look  "  was,  and  is  still,  an  open  question.  I  am  afraid  the 
latter  is  the  correct  interpretation  thereof. 

REACH    FORT    LARAMIE. 

In  about  ten  days  from  the  time  we  left  camp  in  the  Hills, 
we  came  in  sight  of  Fort  Laramie,  and  the  American  flag 
floatino'  proudly  above  the  government  buildings,  the  sight 
of  which  caused  the  fires  of  patriotism,  that  had  been 
smouldering  within  us  for  the  six  months  previous,  to  burn 
up  with  renewed  intensity,  for,  be  it  understood,  we  were 
all  patriotic  Americans  to  the  core,  and,  like  the  prodigal 
son,  were  returning  to  the  paternal  arms  of  Uncle  Sam. 

When  about  two  miles  from  the  fort,  a  gay  cavalcade  of 
ladies,  on  horseback,  were  seen  approaching  the  train,  pre- 
sumablv  to  meet  their  returning  husbands  and  friends,  and 
incidentally  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  prisoners,  whom  they 
regarded  with  excusable  curiosity. 

They  brought  the  alarming  information  that  the  Platte 
River  was  swollen  nearly  out  of  its  banks,  and  so  rapidly 
rising,  that  in  less  than  an  hour  it  would  be  impossible  to 
ford  the  stream.  There  was  no  bridge  at  that  time.  The 
train  pushed  on  with  all  possible  speed,  soon  reaching  the 
banks  of  the  turbulent  Platte.  On  the  surface  of  the 
stream,  logs,  roots  of  trees,  and  even  some  whole  trees, 
roots  and  branches,  and  all  manner  of  debris  went  rushing 
alono"  with  the  dreadful  swish  of  the  current  towards  the 
Missouri.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  so  the  horses  with 
their  heavy  wagons  plunged  in,  heading  up  stream  and 
almost  floating  on  the  bosom  of  the  powerful  current,  and 
reached  the  opposite  shore  in  safety. 

The  ladies  on   horseback,  the  troop  of  cavalry,  and  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  95 

pack  mules,  including  my  friend,  forged  ttirough  the  angry 
waters;  the  ladies  with  skirts  sweeping  the  stream,  accom- 
plishing the  daring  undertaking  first. 

We  were  then  marched  to  the  fort  where  we  were 
detained  two  days,  enjoying  its  hospitality,  when  the  party 
was  released,  without  parole,  and  given  full  transportation 
to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  where  we  arrived  with  neither  flour 
in  our  sacks,  nor  scrip  in  our  purses. 

Here  the  members  of  the  first  expedition  to  penetrate  the 
Black  Hills  separated,  the  author  and  family  remaining  in 
Cheyenne  during  the  summer  of  1875  awaiting  develop- 
ments in  the  Sioux  problem  ;  the  rest  of  the  party,  after  a 
short  delay,  boarding  a  train  for  Sioux  City,  the  point  from 
which  the  expedition  had  embarked  in  early  October  of  the 
preceding  year,  where  they  were  received  right  royally  by 
its  citizens. 

When  our  returning  expedition  had  reached  to  a  distance 
of  about  ten  miles  from  Cheyenne,  it  was  met  by  that 
stanch  friend  and  abettor  of  the  enterprise,  Charlie  Collins, 
who  had  traveled  all  the  way  from  Sioux  City  to  bid  the 
pioneers  welcome  home. 

Yes,  we  were  back  again  within  th.  pale  of  civilization 
and  the  law,  after  an  absence  of  nearly  seven  months. 
Thus  ended  the  memorable  journey  in  and  out  of  the 
Black  Hills,  with  its  dangers  and  hardships,  of  the  first 
expedition,  the  members  of  which  gained  nothing  save  a 
very  dearly-bought  experience. 

The  way  had  been  opened,  however,  for  the  mad  rush 
which  speedily  followed  — in  fact,  it  had  already  begun  ere 
we  reached  Fort  Laramie,  for,  as  was  afterward  learned,  a 
party  of  men  were  hanging  about  Red  Cloud  Agency,  wait- 
ing to  slip  into  the  Hills  as  soon  as  the  troops  having  the 
prisoners  in  charge  had  fairly  passed  out  of  sight. 

Some  of  the  members  of  the  first  expedition  returned  to 
the  Hills  during  the  summer  of  1875,  others  in  the  early 
spring  of  1876  —  to  whom  reference  will  be  made  further 
on  —  while  a  few  never  returned,  preferring  not  to  face  the 


96  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

perils  and  hardships  of  a  second  journey  to  the  new  Eldo- 
rado. Not  all  the  gold  of  Ophir,  nor  the  wealth  of  India, 
would  have  tempted  some  of  those  few  to  repeat  their  first 
experience. 

TERRIBLE   EXPERIENCE  OF  TROOPS   SENT  AFTER  OUR 
EXPEDITION. 

It  was  then  learned  that  as  soon  as  it  became  known  to 
the  military  authorities  that  an  expedition  had  really  been 
organized  iind  was  already  on  its  way  to  the  Black  Hills, 
troops  were  immediately  ordered  out  from  Fort  Kobinson, 
and  other  military  posts,  to  overtake  or  intercept  the  expedi- 
tion and  bring  it  back  to  suffer  the  penalty  for  disregard 
of  government  orders.  The  expedition  was  not  to  be 
found,  however,  by  any  of  the  parties  sent  out,  as  the 
sequel  has  shown,  owing,  in  part,  no  doubt,  to  the  skillful 
maneuvering  and  the  bewildering  gyrations  of  our  train 
along  the  line. 

The  troops  ordered  out  from  Fort  Robinson  had  a  ter- 
rible experience  in  their  fruitless  search  after  our  party, 
which  was  at  the  time  safely  encamped  on  French  creek. 
The  command  consisting  of  Troop  D.,  Third  Cavalry, 
under  the  captaincy  of  Brevet  Brig. -Gen.  Guy  V.  Henry, 
and  about  fifteen  men  of  the  Ninth  Infantry  under 
Lieut.  Carpenter,  with  wagons,  rations,  etc.,  for  thirty 
days,  started  from  Camp  (now  Fort)  Robinson,  the 
26th  of  December  on  their  winter's  maich  toward  the 
Black  Hills.  By  the  time  the  Cheyenne  river  was 
reached,  the  weather  became  so  intensely  cold — the 
thermometer  going  down  to  forty  degrees  below  zero  — 
that  the  hands  of  both  officers  and  men  were  terribly 
frozen.  They  entered  the  Hills  a  short  distance,  but  find- 
ing no  trail  started  back  on  their  homeward  journey 
braving  the  keen  cutting  wind  from  the  north  and  barely 
escaping  being  frozen  to  death.  The  story  of  their  fearful 
suffering  during  their  homeward  ride,  is  best  told  in  the 
language  of    the  captain  in  command,  in  his  graphic  and 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  97 

interesting  published  account  of  his  experience,  a  short 
time  since.  He  says:  "The  cold  was  so  intense  that  it 
was  impossible  to  ride.  Dismounting,  we  led  our  horses, 
as  they,  poor  brutes,  in  their  suffering,  struggled  to  escape 
from  their  riders,  Avho,  in  their  frozen  condition,  had 
trouble  to  prevent.  Our  trail  was  lost  or  obliterated  by 
the  snow;  our  eyes  were  absolutely  sightless  from  the 
constant  pelting  of  the  frozen  particles,  and  thus  we 
struggled  on.  A  clump  of  trees  or  a  hill  for  shelter  from 
the  killing,  life-sapping  wind,  would  have  indeed  been  a 
sweet  haven. 

"  With  frozen  hands  and  faces,  men  becoming  weaker 
and  weaker,  many  bleeding  from  the  nose  and  ears,  the 
weakest  lying  down,  and  refusing  to  move,  —  a  precursor 
of  death  ;  with  them  the  painful,  stinging  bite  of  the  frost, 
had  been  succeeded  by  the  more  solid  freezing,  which 
drives  the  blood  rapidly  to  the  center  and  produces  that 
warm,  delightful,  dreamy  sensation,  the  forerunner  of 
danger  and  death.  They  had  to  be  threatened  and  strapped 
to  their  saddles,  for  if  left  behind  death  would  follow,  and 
an  officer's  duty  is  to  save  his  men.  Ours  now  was  a 
struggle  for  life;  to  halt  was  to  freeze  to  death,  to  advance 
our  only  hope,  as  Red  Cloud  could  not  be  far  awav,  and 
some  of  us  might  be  able  to  reach  camp  with  life,  thouo-h 
with  frozen  limbs. 

"  Weakened,  till  we  could  no  longer  walk,  in  despera- 
tion, the  command,  '  Mount,'  was  given.  Stiffened  and 
frozen,  we  clambered  into  our  saddles.  Forward,  gallop, 
and  we  all  knew  this  was  a  race  for  life.  We  were  power- 
less. Brain  nor  eye  could  no  longerlielp  us.  The  instinct 
of  our  horses,  would  alone  save  those  who  could  hold  out. 
So,  on  we  rushed,  life  and  home  in  front,  death  behind. 
Suddenly,  turning  the  curve  of  a  hill,  we  came  upon  a 
ranch,  inhabited  by  a  white  man  and  his  squaw,  and  we 
were  saved.  Had  the  sun  burst  forth  with  the  heat  of 
summer,  our  surprise  and  joy  could  not  have  been  greater 
than  they  were,  to  find  this  place  of  refuge  and  safety  in 


98  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OR, 

the  wilderness,  and  to  be  saved  from  the  jaws  of  death  by 
a  'squaw  ranch!'  I  have  since  passed  this  ranch,  and 
nothing  has  ever  awakened  stronger  feelings  of  gratitude 
than  the  sight  of  that  hovel.  The  horses  were  put  in  the 
corral.  Those  that  were  running  wild  with  their  .power- 
less riders  were  caught.  Men  were  put  under  shelter,  and 
the  process  of  thawing  out  frozen  parts  commenced,  with 
its  attendant  pain  and  suffering. 

"  Every  oflBcer  and  man  was  frozen;  some  suffered  more 
than  others;  and  to  this  day  many  are  suffering  from  the 
effects  of  this  march  by  the  loss  of  members.  Even  where 
there  is  no  physical  disability  freezing  leaves  a  nervous 
prostration,  from  which  one  never  recovers.  We  found 
ourselves  about  fifteen  miles  from  our  post,  and  so  great 
was  the  cold,  that  we  could  not  persuade  an  Indian  to  carry 
a  message  to  Red  Cloud  asking  that  wagons  and  ambu- 
lances  be  sent  to  our  assistance. 

"  The  next  day  we  received  medical  attention,  and  the 
helpless  were  carried  to  the  post. 

"  There  could  not  have  been  a  greater  contrast  between 
our  departure  and  return.  Entering  my  own  quarters,  I 
was  not  recognized,  owing  to  my  blackened  swollen  face. 
All  my  fingers  were  frozen  to  their  second  joints  ;  the  flesh 
sloughed  off,  exposing  the  bones.  Other  flesh  gradually 
grew  afterward,  except  on  one  flnger,  the  first  joint  of 
which  had  to  be  amputated,  while  the  joints  of  ray  left 
hand  are  so  stiffened  by  freezing  and  extraneous  deposits, 
that  1  am  unable  to  bend  or  close  my  fingers." 

The  above  narrative  shows  what  many  other  officers  and 
soldiers  in  the  past  have  had  to  undergo  on  the  plains  in 
the  performance  of  duty,  and  not  a  winter  but  has  its 
maimed  and  suffering  victims,  who  have  borne  their  share 
in  the  battle  of  civilization,  rendering  victory  possible 
through  the  protection  of  settlers,  the  building  and  exten- 
sion of  railroads,  and  the  peopling  of  the  Great  West. 

It  is  very  easy  indeed,  for  us,  pioneers,  to  believe  that 
the  above  tale  of  fearful  suffering  is  not  in  the  least  exag- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  99 

ge rated, when  we  recall  that,  at  the  very  time  our  pursuers 
were  struggling  in  the  icy  embrace  of  a  veritable  blizzard, 
right  in  the  teeth  of  a  genuine  Norther,  that  cuts  like  a 
razor,  we  were  piling  up  great  log  fires  to  ward  off  the 
intense  cold,  even  though  protected  from  the  piercing  wind 
by  the  surrounding  hills.  It  is  more  difficult,  however,  to 
understand  why  they  should  turn  on  their  homeward  ride, 
in  the  face  of  such  a  storm,  with  the  thermometer  forty 
degrees  below,  instead  of  remaining  in  the  shelter  of  the 
Hills  until  the  cold  abated,  having  plenty  of  rations,  forage, 
etc.,  with  them. 

It  appears  that  Gen.  Henry,  erroneously  supposing  that 
our  expedition  had  entered  the  Hills  at  some  point  on 
their  southern  limits,  expected  to  either  overtake  us  or 
strike  the  trail  that  would  lead  directly  to  our  camp  in  the 
Hills,  when  in  fact  we  had  entered  at  a  point  almost  dia- 
metrically opposite.  Manifestly  we  had  a  very  narrow 
escape  from  capture,  as  it  could  not  have  exceeded  thirty 
miles  from  the  point  reached  by  the  troops  to  our  camp 
on  French  creek. 

It  was  learned,  too,  that  a  detachment  of  soldiers  had 
also  been  dispatched  on  our  trail  from  Fort  Randall  on  the 
Missouri  river.  It  transpired  that  as  soon  as  the  band  of 
Cheyenne  Indians,  encountered  by  our  expedition  at  the 
Cheyenne  river  crossing,  had  reached  their  agency,  they 
gave  information  of  having  met  a  large  party  of  white 
men  traveling  towards  the  Black  Hills,  when  the  military 
authorities  at  the  above  named  post  immediately  sent  a 
company  of  mounted  infantry  in  hot  pursuit.  This  com- 
pany succeeded  in  finding  our  wagon  trail  which  was  fol- 
lowed into  the  Hills  to  some  point  on  the  Box  Elder 
creek,  when,  their  rations  becoming  exhausted,  it  was 
forced  to  give  up  the  pursuit  and  return  to  the  post. 
Soldiers  attached  to  that  company  afterwards  told  that  our 
train  could  not  have  been  more  than  a  day's  journey  in 
advance  of  them,  as  they  had  spent  the  night  before  turn- 
ing back  near  our  recently  abandoned  camp  fires.     From 


100  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

this,  it  appears  that  the  company  were  not  at  all  anxious  to 
overtake  and  capture  the  expedition  when  so  near  its 
journey's  end. 

A     STREET    INTERVIEW    WITH    WILD    BILL. 

One  day  during  the  summer  of  1875,  while  walking  along 
one  of  the  principal  streets  of  Cheyenne  with  a  friend, 
there  appeared  sauntering  leisurely  towards  us  from  the 
opposite  direction  a  tall,  straight,  and  rather  heavily  built 
individual  in  ordinary  citizen's  clothes,  sans  revolver  and 
knives  ;  sans  buckskin  leggins  and  spurs,  and  sans  every- 
thing that  would  betoken  the  real  character  of  the  man,  save 
that  he  wore  a  broad-brimmed  sombrero  hat,  and  a  profusion 
of  light  brown  hair  hanging  down  over  his  broad  shoulders. 
A  nearer  view  betrayed  the  fact  that  he  also  wore  a  care- 
fully cultivated  mustache  of  a  still  lighter  shade,  which 
curled  up  saucily  at  each  corner  of  his  somewhat  sinister 
looking  mouth,  while  on  his  chin  grew  a  small  hirsute  tuft 
of  the  same  shade,  and,  barring  the  two  latter  appendages,  he 
might  easily  have  been  taken  for  a  Quaker  minister.  When 
within  a  few  feet  of  us,  he  hesitated  a  moment  as  if  unde- 
cided, then,  stepping  to  one  side,  suddenly  stopped,  at  the 
same  time  doffing  his  sombrero  and  addressed  me  in  good 
respectable  Anglo-Saxon  vernacular  substantially  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

"  Madam,  I  hope  you  will  pardon  my  seeming  boldness, 
but  knowing  that  you  have  recently  returned  from  the 
Black  Hills,  I  take  the  liberty  of  asking  a  few  questions 
in  regard  to  the  country,  as  I  expect  to  go  there  myself 
soon.  '  My  name  is  Hickoc'  "  I  bowed  low  in  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  supposed  honor,  but  I  must  confess, 
that  his  next  announcement  somewhat  startled  me. 

"  I  am  called  Wild  Bill,"  he  continued,  "  and  you  have, 
no  doubt,  heard  of  me,  —  although,"  he  added,  "  I  sup- 
pose you  have  heard  nothing  good  of  me." 

"  Yes,"  I  candidly  answered,  "  I  have  often  heard  of 
Wild  Bill,  and  his  reputation  at  least  is  not  at  all  creditable 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  101 

to  him."  "  Bat,"  I  hastened  to  add,  "  perhaps  he  is  not 
so  black  as  he  is  painted." 

"  Well,  as  to  that,"  he  replied,  "  I  suppose  I  am  called 
a  red-handed  murderer,  which  I  deny.  That  I  have 
killed  men  I  admit,  but  never  unless  in  absolute  self- 
defense,  or  in  the  performance  of  an  official  duty.  I  never, 
in  my  life,  took  any  mean  advantage  of  an  enemy.  Yet, 
understand,"  he  added,  with  a  dangerous  gleam  in  his  eye, 
"  I  never  allowed  a  man  to  get  the  drop  on  me.  But  per- 
haps I  may  yet  die  with  my  boots  on,"  he  said,  his  face 
softening  a  little.  Ah,  was  this  a  premonition  of  the  tragic 
fate  that  awaited  him? 

After  making  a  few  queries  relative  to  the  Black  Hills, 
which  were  politely  answered,  Wild  Bill  with  a  gracious 
bow,  that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  Chesterfield, 
passed  on  down  the  street  out  of  sight,  and  I  neither  saw 
nor  heard  more  of  him  until  one  day  early  in  August,  1876, 
when  the  excited  cry  of  "  Wild  Bill  is  shot,"  was  carried 
along  the  main  street  of  Dead  wood. 

During  our  brief  conversation  he  incidentally  remarked 
that  he  thought  I  possessed  a  good  deal  of  "  sand  "  to 
undertake  so  h)ng  and  dangerous  a  journey  into  the 
Black  Hills.  Now,  while  Wild  Bill,  no  doubt,  intended 
that  sentiment  as  a  great  compliment  —  it  being  his 
ideal  of  "  pluck,"  — would  you  believe  I  did  not  at  first 
quite  like  the  imputation.  You  see  I  was  not  as  well 
versed  in  Western  phraseology  then,  as  I  have  since 
become. 

It  was  a  rather  startling  experience  to  be  "  held  up  "  in 
the  main  thoroughfare  of  a  large,  busy  town,  in  broad  day- 
light, by  a  noted  desperado,  yet  Wild  Bill  performed  that 
daring  exploit  with  a  single  wave  of  his  swift  unerring 
right  hand.  No  reflection  is  meant  on  his  memory  when 
it  is  hinted  that  perhaps  he  was  not  well  up  in  street 
etiquette.  Be  that  as  it  may,  I  have  been  strongly  im- 
pressed ever  since  with  the  thought  that  Wild  Bill  was  by 
no  means   all  bad.     It  is  hard  to  tell  what  environments 


102 


THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


may  have  conspired  to  mould  his  life  into  the  desperate 
character  he  is  said  to  have  been. 

Before  coming  to  Black  Hills  in  1876,  Will  Bill  was  at  one 
time  sheriff  somewhere  in  the  State  of  Kansas  —  in  which 
capacity  he  is  reputed  to  have  been  a  holy  terror  to  law- 
breakers. He  was  also  for  many  years  notable  as  a  gov- 
ernment scout,  having  acted  in  that  capacity  during  the 
Civil  War.  The  greater  part  of  his  life  had  been  spent  on 
the  plains,  among  the  lawless  element  of  the  Western 
border,  where,  as  an  officer  of  the  law,  he  was  brought  in 
frequent  conflict  with  all  such  desperate  characters  as  usu- 
ally infest  the  frontier  setllements;  murderers,  horse- 
thieves,  road-agents,  and  other  criminals,  who  seem  to 
believe  that  the  world  owes  them  a  living  which  they  are 
bound  to  have  at  any  cost.  Wild  Bill  was  in  consequence 
mixed  up  in  many  a  desperate  encounter,  in  which  the  first  to 
press  the  trigger  came  off  victor,  and  he  was  usually  the  first. 

Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  peculiarity  in  the  make-up 
of  Wild  Bill,  was  his  wonderful  nerve,  and  marvelous 
swiftness  as  a  shot  —  his  aim  being  steady,  and  his  shot 
like  a  flash  of  light,  it  is  easy  to  believe  that  he  never 
allowed  a  man  to  get  the  drop  on  him. 

Whether  he  possessed  any  redeeming  traits  is  a  dis- 
puted question ;  that  he  had  numerous  ardent  admirers  is 
an  admitted  fact. 

This  bold  dashing  frontiersnian,  who  met  his  fate  in 
the  Black  Hills,  upon  a  time,  met  a  daring  and  accom- 
plished equestrienne  of  the  circus  ring,  called  Madame 
Agnes  Lake,  and  mutually  admiring  each  other's  dashing 
characteristics,  they  finally  loved  and  were  married  in 
Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  in  1874.  The  widow  survives  her 
murdered  husband  and  now  lives  somewhere  in  the  State 
of  Kansas. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  103 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THE    BLACK   HILLS. 

The  Black  Hills,  apparently  an  upheaval  from  the  bed 
of  a  vast  ocean,  having  its  existence  away  back  in  the 
misty  past,  or,  at  some  prehistoric  period,  comprising  an 
area  of  about  6,000  square  miles,  are  situated  in  South- 
western Dakota,  and  Eastern  Wyoming,  the  greater  part,  or 
about  two-thirds  of  the  entire  area,  lying  in  South  Dakota 
and  embraced  between  the  north  and  south  forks  of  the 
Big  Cheyenne  river,  ^vhich  encircles  them  on  three  sides, 
north,  east,  and  south.  Along  their  entire  eastern  limits, 
rise  up  bold,  rugged,  and  lofty  ranges  of  hills,  trending 
northeast  and  southwest,  and  extending  several  miles  into 
the  interior,  giving  them  the  appearance  of  almost  com- 
plete inaccessibility,  as  seen  at  a  distance  by  one  approach- 
ing them  from  the  east.  A  nearer  approach  and  explora- 
tion, however,  will  discover  the  fact  that  such  is  by  no 
means  the  case,  as  along  any  of  the  numerous  streams  that 
gather  their  waters  in  the  hollows  of  the  jagged  granite 
peaks  and  flow  eastward  to  the  plains,  will  be  found  practi- 
cable avenues  of  entrance  to  the  interior. 

The  highest  point  of  this  wonderful  uplift  is  Harney's 
Peak,  in  the  granite  region  of  the  southern  Hills,  which 
extends  its  giant  naked  crest  above  its  surrounding  sister 
peaks,  to  an  elevation  variously  estimated  at  from  7,500  to 
8,200  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  From  the  summit 
of  this  dominant  peak,  one  may  behold,  spread  out,  a 
glorious  panorama  of  pine-clad  hills,  luxuriant  valleys,  and 
far-reaching  undulating  plains, —  which  look,  in  the  dis- 
tance, like  the  billows  of  old  ocean,  and  perhaps  no  more 
enchantinor  scene  ever  greeted  the  human  vision. 


104 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 


This  peak  was  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  W.  S.  Harney, 
one  of  the  first  Peace  Commissioners  who  were  sent  out  by 
the  Government  and  succeeded  in  effecting  a  treaty  with 
the  Sioux  in  1865. 


:^ 


^MiM 


THE  NEEDLES  NEAR  HARNEY's  PEAK. 


The  second  highest  point  is  Crook's  Tower,  —  to  the 
northwest  of  Harney's  Peak,  which  rises  up  to  an  altitude 
of  7,140  feet  above  the  plane  of  the  sea.  Terry's  Peak,  in 
the  northern  Hills,  claims  a  height  of  7,076  feet  above  the 
ocean  level,  and  Inyan  Kara,  west  of  the  Hills,  aspires  to 
an  altitude  of  6,063  feet  above  the  plane  of  the  sea.     This 


LAST    HUNTIXG    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  105 

peculiar  formation  stands  alone  in  the  midst  of  a  plain 
just  west  of  the  Hills  proper,  and  bears  the  appearance, 
as  its  name  signifies,  of  having  been  thrown  up  from  the 
center  of  an  earlier  upheaval  leaving  the  rim  of  the  earlier 
uplift  intact.  The  name  Inyan  Kara  interpreted  from 
the  Indian  tongue,  signifies,  "  A  mountain  within  a  moun- 
tain," —  as  appropriate  as  the  name  is  musical. 

Bear  Butte,  north  of  the  main  uplift  and  distant  there- 
from about  eight  miles,  rises  up  in  solitary  grandeur, 
4,400  feet  above  the  plane  of  the  sea  and  1,200  feet  above 
the  surrounding  plains.  The  dim  outlines  of  this  lone 
mountain,  about  which  cling  many  interesting  Indian  tra- 
ditions, could  be  seen  by  the  longing  eyes  of  the  travel- 
worn  pioneers  for  days  before  reaching  their  ultima  (hide, 
and  perhaps  never  "  since  the  morning  stars  sang  to- 
gether "  was  the  sight  of  a  mere  inanimate  object  hailed 
with  greater  thankfulness.  Bear  Butte  is  entitled  to  be- 
come historic  —  to  be  remembered  in  song  and  story  as  in 
the  past  in  Indian  tradition,  in  that  it  served  as  a  conspicu- 
ous landmark  to  the  early  explorers  to  the  west  and  north- 
ward, and  later  to  the  pioneer,  guiding  him  from  afar  to  the 
golden  gate,  which  it  overlooks,  and  where  it  will  forever 
keep  its  lonely  vigil. 

The  most  unique  geological  elevation  in  the  region  sur- 
rounding the  Black  Hills  is  the  "  Devil's  Tower,"  which 
rises  up  from  the  valley  of  the  Belle  Fourche  river  like  a 
hnge  fossil  tree  trunk,  800  feet  high  and  a  mile  in  circum- 
ference at  its  base.  This  structure,  which  is  believed  by 
those  who  have  examined  its  formation  to  have  once  formed 
the  pith  of  a  volcanic  cone,  is  gradually  disintegrating  and 
falling  away,  and  will  doubtless  eventually  crumble  to  a  con- 
fused pile  of  broken  rocks. 

The  mountainous  region  of  the  Black  Hills  includes  the 
Harney  range  of  granite  peaks  and  ridges,  which  extends 
in  an  almost  complete  circle  from  the  Buckhorn  spurs  north 
of  Custer  City,  around  to  the  castellated  and  massive  pile 
known  as  Calamity  Peak,  about  two  miles  east  of  that  city  ; 


106  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

the  limestone  region  in  the  west,  and  the  volcanic  uplifts, 
viz.  :  Terry's  Peak,  Crow's  Peak,  Bear  Butte,  Inyan  Kara, 
Bear  Lodge,  and  Devil's  Tower,  in  the  northwest. 

The  elevation  of  some  of  the  principal  points  in  and  near 
the  Black  Hills,  as  ascertained  by  the  observations  and  cal- 
culations of  Samuel  Scott,  mining  engineer  of  Custer  City, 
is  as  follows:  —  (Above  the  ocean.) 

Harney's  Peak 7,403  ft.  Inyan  Kara 6,063  ft. 

Crook's  Tower 7,140  ft.  Sundance  Mt 6,023  ft. 

Terry's  Peak 7,070  ft.  Crow's  Peak 5,772  ft. 

Bear  Lodge 6,828  ft.  Black  Buttes 5,650  ft. 

Custer's  Peak 6,812  ft. 

The  most  attractive  features  of  the  Black  Hills  region  to 
the  pioneers  were  the  magnificent  forests  of  pine  covering 
the  lower  ranges  and  extending  far  up  the  lofty  mountain 
slopes;  and  the  beautiful  groves  of  spruce  and  fir  trees  that 
grew  along  through  the  canyons  of  the  Hills,  stretching  up 
their  graceful  heads,  oftentimes  100  feet  toward  the  top  of 
the  vertical  walls  on  either  side  —  always  strongly  sug- 
gestive of  the  thought  that  they  were  reaching  up  to  greet 
the  light  of  the  sun's  rays,  whenever  that  orb  deigned  for 
a  brief  time  to  shed  its  beams  down  into  their  dark  recesses; 
also  the  many  charming  natural  parks  afterwards  found 
throughout  the  Hills,  sometimes,  strangely  enough,  right  in 
the  heart  of  the  heavily  timbered  region,  surrounded  by 
lofty  mountains  and  well  watered  by  copious  springs. 
Notably  among  the  productive  watered  parks  found  hidden 
among  the  mountains  in  the  depths  of  the  forest  is  what  is 
called  Boulder  Park,  lying  about  six  miles  northeast  of  Dead- 
wood,  containing  approximately  a  thousand  acres  of  land. 

Groves  of  ash,  oak,  elm  and  a  few  other  varieties  of 
deciduous  trees  were  found  to  exist  on  the  northern  slopes 
of  the  Hills,  and  to  a  limited  extent  on  their  eastern  and 
southern  basis,  while  the  many  streams  flowing  therefrom, 
were  found  fringed  with  an  abundant  growth  of  cotton- 
wood,  box  elder,  birch,  willow,  etc. 


LAST    IIUNTINU    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


107 


The  forests  of  the  Black  Hills  are  not  to-day  what  the}' 
were  twenty  years  ago.  Those  remorseless  civilizers,  the 
ax  and  the  saw,  have  shorn  them  of  much  of  their  primitive 
luxuriance  and  beauty  —  denuding  large  areas  of  their  most 


devil's  tower,  showing  millions  of  tons  of  fallkn  rock. 

valuable  timber,  leaving  in  their  places  nothing  but  unsightly 
stumps.  Despite  the  stringent  laws  enacted  for  the  pro- 
tection of  Black  Hills  forests  a  great  deal  of  wanton 
destruction  of  valuable  timber  is  carried  on  year  by  year. 


108  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Another  active  agent,  that  has  made  sad  havoc  in  the 
forests  of  the  Bhick  Hills  is  the  extensive  timber  fires  that 
almost  yearly  sweep  over  the  Hills,  through  the  most 
heavily  wooded  territory,  leaving  in  their  pathway  charred 
trees  divested  of  all  beauty.  The  timber  of  the  Black  Hills 
is,  for  the  most  part,  pine  of  an  excellent  quality  and  of 
suitable  dimensions  for  being  sawed  into  lumber  for  build- 
ing and  various  other  purposes  —  in  short  the  forests  of 
the  Hills  are  among  the  many  of  their  valuable  resources, 
and  upon  which,  by  reason  of  ever-increasing  industries, 
there  will  be  in  the  future  extraordinary  demand. 

The  area  of  the  Black  Hills  covered  by  an  excellent 
quality  of  pine  timber  is  estimated  at  3,000  square  miles, 
which  will  produce  an  adequate  supply  for  all  local 
demands  for  generations  yet  to  come. 

PRODUCTIVENESS    OF    THE    BLACK    HILLS. 

Between  the  successive  mountain  ranges  of  the  Black 
Hills  are  rich,  fertile  valleys  covered  with  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  grass  and  susceptible  of  a  high  condition  of 
cultivation.  Agriculture  is  carried  on  extensively  in  the 
numerous  valle3^s  interspersed  throughout  the  Hills,  im- 
mense crops  of  cereals,  also  potatoes  and  other  tubers,  in 
fact  all  kinds  of  vegetables  being  raised  with  wonderful 
success.  Wild  fruits,  such  as  plums,  grapes,  cherries, 
currants,  raspberries,  gooseberries,  strawberries,  and  june- 
berries  are  found  in  great  abundance,  and  of  large  size  and 
excellent  quallity,  pronounced  by  experts  to  be  equal  if 
not  superior  in  flavor  to  the  cultivated  fruits  of  the  same 
kind. 

Although  no  extensive  attention  has  yet  been  given  to 
fruit  culture,  experiment  has  proven  that  many  varieties  of 
apples  and  pears  can  be  successfully  cultivated.  System- 
atic efforts  have  been  made  by  nursery  men  near  the  east- 
ern slopes  of  the  Hills  towards  fruit  culture,  and  several 
kinds  of  fruit,  not  indigenous  to  the  Black  Hills,  have 
been    grown  with    the  most  gratifying  results.     Perhaps 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  109 

the  most  extensive  and  successful  fruit  culturist  in  the 
Black  Hills  is  C.  Thompson,  whose  nursery  is  located  a  few 
miles  out  from  Rapid  City  and  upon  whom  was  bestowed 
the  award  for  the  size  and  quality  of  fruit  exhibited  at 
the  Dakota  State  fair. 

The  soil  of  the  valleys  and  plains  surrounding  the  Black 
Hills  is  also  exceedingly  productive  in  the  cereals,  and 
all  vegetables  suitable  to  that  latitude,  the  extensive  beds 
of  gypsum  surrounding  the  Hills  furnishing  an  inex- 
haustible source  of  fertilization  to  the  lands  lying  adjacent 
thereto.  The  entire  region  outside  of  the  timbered  area 
is  covered  with  an  abundant  growth  of  buffalo  grass,  which 
to-day  furnishes  grazing  for  thousands  of  cattle,  horses 
and  sheep,  without  other  sustenance  throughout  the  entire 
year.  This  "bunch  grass,"  which  principally  grows  in 
the  valleys  and  on  the  bench  lands,  makes  its  appearance 
early  in  the  spring,  reaches  maturity  in  June,  and  cures 
where  it  stands,  retaining  all  its  nutritive  qualities,  thus 
constituting  the  best  autumn  and  winter  food  for  stock 
that  nature  has  provided. 

THE    CLIMATE    OF    THE  BLACK    HILLS. 

The  climate  of  the  Black  Hills  though  in  many  respects 
peculiar  to  itself,  depends,  —  like  all  mountainous  region, 
greatly  upon  locality.  Through  the  dry  season,  extending 
from  May  to  October,  comparatively  little  rain  falls  on  the 
surrounding  plains,  while  through  the  mountainous  region 
rainfalls  are  frequent  and  copious,  and  the  more  heavily, 
timbered  the  region  the  more  frequent  the  showers.  The 
mountains  serve  as  condensers,  gathering  and  precipitating 
the  moisture,  with  which  the  atmosphere  is  charged,  by 
evaporation  from  remote  localities,  while  the  plains  may 
be  dry  and  parched  by  long  continued  drouth. 

Dark  thunder  clouds,  heavily  charged  with  electricity, 
frequently  hover  over  the  mountain  tops,  and,  after  dis- 
charging their  abundant  moisture  over  the  forest  region, 
break  and  fade  away  before  reaching  the  edge  of  the  plains. 


110  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

Doubtless,  the  more  extensive  culture  of  timber  areas  on 
the  treeless  portions  of  the  Hills  region,  will  result  in  a 
corresponding  increase  of  precipitation. 

No  great  depth  of  snow  falls  save  in  the  limestone 
ranges  of  the  Hills  where  it  remains  the  greater  part  of 
the  season  from  December  to  May.  Much  more  snow  falls 
in  the  northern  than  in  the  southern  Hills,  or  on  the  val- 
leys outside,  and  it  remains  longer.  The  heaviest  snow 
falls  in  the  months  of  March  and  April,  and  sometimes 
even  in  May.  The  great  flood  of  1883,  which  wrought 
such  destruction  in  the  northern  Hills,  was  occasioned  by  a 
heavy  fall  of  snow  in  early  May,  followed  by  a  warm  rain. 

The  temperature  of  the  Black  Hills  varies  with  elevation 
and  topography.  In  exceptional  cases  in  the  history  of  the 
Hills,  the  thermometer  has  been  known  to  indicate  a  range  of 
122  degrees,  from  twenty-five  degrees  below  to  ninety-seven 
above,  seldom,  however,  reaching  more  than  ninety-four 
degrees  above  to  twenty  degrees  below  zero,  the  main  tem- 
perature varying  according  to  location  from  eight  to  ten 
degrees.  Owing  to  the  dryness  of  the  climate,  in  this 
favored  region,  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  are  not  felt 
as  in  the  humid  atmosphere  of  eastern  localities  in  the  same 
latitude. 

DRAINAGE. 

In  the  drainage  system  of  the  Black  Hills  the  principal 
streams  are  the  Belle  Fourche,  or  north  fork,  and  the  south 
fork  of  the  Big  Cheynne  river,  the  Red  water,  Sand,  Spear- 
fish,  Whitewood,  False  Bottom,  Alkali,  Bear  Butte,  Elk, 
Box  Elder,  Rapid,  Spring,  Battle,  French,  Beaver,  Red 
Canyon,  and  Fall  River.  Of  these.  Sand,  Spearfish  and 
False  Bottom  creeks,  empty  their  waters  into  the  Red- 
water,  a  tributary  of  the  Belle  Fourche,  while  all  the  other 
above  named  streams  discharge  into  the  South  Fork  of  the 
Big  Cheyenne  river.  A  notable  feature  of  the  drainage 
system  is  that  a  number  of  the  streams  flowing  eastward 
from  the  Hills,  sink  and  find  a  subterranean  channel  as  they 
approach  the  foothills,  the  water  rising  again  to  the  surface, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  Ill 

a  short  distance  below,  but  sometimes  carrying  no  surface 
water  to  the  streams  of  which  they  are  tributaries.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  only  streams  of  the  system  which 
unfailingly  discharge  their  waters  into  the  main 
rivers,  throughout  the  year,  are  the  Red  water,  Spearfish, 
Rapid  and  Fall  River  creeks,  the  first  three  of  which, 
furnish  ample  power  for  manufacturing  and  milling,  besides 
a  large  surplus  for  irrigation  purposes.  Numerous  springs 
producing  an  abundant  supply  of  pure,  soft  water,  are 
found  in  every  part  of  the  Black  Hills. 

MINERALS    OF    THE    BLACK    HILLS. 

The  most  notable  characteristic  of  the  Black  Hills  reofion 
is  the  abundance  and  wonderful  variety  of  its  mineral  pro- 
ductions. Although  young  in  point  of  development,  they 
have  already  in  operation  some  of  the  most  productive  gold 
mines  in  the  world,  and  they  are  known  to  contain  silver, 
iron,  copper,  galena,  tin,  nickel,  plumbago,  cobalt,  mica, 
asbestes,  antimony,  salt,  arsenic,  and  almost  every  other 
known  metal.  The  oft  repeated  assertion  that  the  Black 
Hills  are  the  richest  mineral  region  of  equal  area  in  the 
world  is  no  doubt  true. 

THE    BLACK    HILLS    NEVER    THE    HOME    OF    INDIANS. 

No  evidence  that  Indians  had  at  any  time  made  the  Black 
Hills  their  home  was  found  by  the  first  pioneers,  which,  to 
them,  was  a  matter  of  no  little  surprise,  because  contrary 
to  all  preconceived  ideas  on  that  point.  The  romantic 
mental  picture  drawn  of  the  Black  Hills,  as  the  Indians' 
elysium,  whither  they  hied  them  from  the  heat  and  fatigue 
of  the  summer  hunt,  to  rest  under  the  grateful  shades  of 
their  beautiful  groves,  and  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  or  war, 
according  to  their  mood,  while  the  squaws  gathered  the 
wood,  built  the  fires,  and  cooked  the  meals,  the  dusky 
maidens  and  boys  meanwhile  disporting  themselves,  ac- 
cording to  their  savage  fancies,  such  as  target  practice  with 
the  bow  and  arrow,  running,  jumping,  etc.,  sports  of  which 


112  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

the  young  braves  are  excessively  fond;  and  the  war  dances, 
the  ghost,  and  other  dances,  in  the  deep  ravines,  where  the 
warwhoop  would  be  sure  to  ring  out  with  the  most  telling- 
effect,  was  completely  dissolved.  It  seems  plain  enough 
that  the  tastes  and  proclivities  of  savages  cannot  be  gauged 
from  a  civilized  standpoint,  for,  as  it  appeared,  the  Black 
Hills  with  all  their  varied  attractiveness  possessed  no  charms 
for  the  red  men,  while  to  white  men  they  would  have  been 
a  veritable  paradise. 

Ample  evidences  were  afterwards  found  that  they  fre- 
quently visited  the  foothills,  for  the  purpose  of  supplying 
themselves  with  lodge  poles,  rarely,  however,  venturing 
very  far  into  the  interior.  The  reason  for  this  avoidance 
of  the  Hills  is  believed  by  many  to  be  their  superstitious 
fear  of  the  terrible  thunder  storms,  which  frequently  occur 
in  the  Hills,  when  the  lightning,  doubtless  attracted  by 
the  mineral,  sometimes  plays  fantastic  freaks,  that  would 
make  even  the  most  philosophical  pale-face  quail.  It  has 
been  asserted  by  those  familiar  with  the  habits  of  the 
Indian,  that,  when  caught  in  the  Hills  by  a  threatened 
thnnder-storm  they  would  fly  with  a  piercing  shriek  and  in 
the  wildest  terror,  out  towards  the  plains,  at  the  first  flash 
of  lightning,  and  the  first  low  rumblings  of  thunder. 

SOME    INDIAN    TRADITIONS. 

Of  the  many  curions  Indian  traditions  and  legends  handed 
down  from  the  dead  centuries,  none,  perhaps,  are  more  in- 
teresting to  us  than  the  superstitions  of  the  Dakotahs  in 
regard  to  the  Black  Hills  —  superstitions  having  their 
origin  in  the  fertile  imaginations  of  these  simple-minded 
people,  living  so  close  to  the  heart  of  nature,  which  they 
are  wholly  unable  to  comprehend.  Owing  to  their  com- 
plete ignorance  of  the  infallible  laws  governing  the  great 
forces  of  nature,  they  are  led  to  invest  everything  that  is 
awe-inspiring  and  grand,  all  the  magnificent,  and,  to 
them,  incomprehensible  objects  in  nature,  with  human 
or  superhuman  powers.     Everything  that  moves,  such  as 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  113 

the  sun,  moon,  wiod,  clouds,  etc.,  they  clothe  with  attri- 
butes of  a  god  or  man,  in  proportion  to  the  power  with 
which  they  are  impressed. 

Accord ini>:  to  Indian  folk-lore,  thev  believe  that  the  Great 
Spirit  sits  enthroned,  under  some  one  of  the  lofty  peaks 
of  the  Black  Hills  who,  in  his  angry  moods,  shoots  forth 
tongues  of  forked  lightning,  and  hurls  out  forged  thunder- 
bolts from  his  abiding  place,  sometimes  accompanied  by 
violent  wind,  which,  they  claim,  is  kept  stored  in  great 
tanks  for  such  occasions,  all  of  which  they  regard  as  direct 
manifestations  of  his  dire  displeasure, — and  the  terrible 
-electrical  storms  that  occasionally  sweep  over  the  Hills, 
twisting,  splintering,  and  tearing  up  by  the  roots  the  great 
giants  of  the  woods,  leaving  them  lying  in  bewildering 
confusion  along  the  mountain  slopes,  they  regard  as  an 
exhibition  of  his  still  more  wrathy  paroxysms.  It  is  not 
surprising,  then,  in  view  of  this  belief,  that  the  Indians 
should  have  given  the  Black  Hills  an  extremely  wide  berth. 
They,  evidently,  had  no  desire  to  approach  or  spend  much 
time  around  the  throne  of  an  incensed  deity. 

Another  superstition  of  theirs  was,  that  the  evil  spirit 
had  his  realm  in  the  dark  ravines  and  gorges  of  the  Hills, 
whose  malign  influence  caused  the  sun  to  refuse  to  shine 
down  into  their  dark  recesses,  Avhile  others  of  their  numer- 
ous deities  had  their  abodes  somewhere  among  the  moun- 
tain ranges.  Still  another  story, —  one  of  much  significance 
current  among  the  Sioux,  w\as  that  a  white  man  was  kept 
confined,  under  one  of  the  lofty  mountains  of  the  Hills, 
doomed  to  perpetual  imprisonment,  as  a  warning  to  tres- 
passers upon  their  happy  hunting  ground.  As  the  story 
goes,  this  prisoner,  who,  inconsistent  as  it  may  seem,  is 
allowed  to  sally  forth  occasionally  for  a  constitutional,  is 
a  person  of  colossal  proportions,  and  is  reputed  to  leave, 
in  his  perambulations,  footprints  twenty  feet  long,/^  Which 
one  of  the  Indian  deities  is  his  custodian,  or  to  what  na- 
tionality the  prisoner  belongs,  tradition  saith  not.  More- 
over, there   are  other  strange  legends,  which  are  told  and 


114  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

accepted  by  them,  with  the  same  blind,  unreasoning  cred- 
ulity, that  has  characterized,  to  a  more  or  less  extent,  all 
the  primitive  and  uncivilized  nations  of  the  world. 

The  year  1874,  beginning  the  first  epoch  in  the  pioneer 
history  of  the  Black  Hills,  and  the  two  subsequent  years 
of  1875-6,  forming  as  they  do,  the  era  comprehended 
between  their  invasion  by  the  first  expedition,  and  their 
legitimate  occupancy  in  the  early  part  of  1877,  were  truly 
momentous  ones,  a  period  pregnant  with  exciting  and 
tragic  events,  not  unmixed  with  incidents  both  pathetic 
and  ludicrous,  mau}^  of  which  occurred  under  the  author's 
own  observation,  and  in  a  few  of  which  she  participated. 

Although  those  early  pages,  as  a  result  of  the  then  crude 
conditions,  have  to  record  a  few  cases  of  high  crimes,  and 
some  of  lesser  magnitude,  it  may  safely  be  asserted,  that 
far  less  lawlessness  prevailed  during  their  chaotic  period, 
than  in  any  other  mining  region  of  which  we  have  informa- 
tion. The  stains  upon  the  white  pages  of  our  history  are 
comparatively  few^  though  not  far  between. 

All  through  the  summer  of  1875,  the  United  States 
troops  were  kept  exceedingly  busy  in  an  unsuccessful 
attempt  to  keep  back  the  hordes  of  gold  seekers,  who  were 
continually  making  their  way  into  the  Hills,  from  every 
point  of  the  compass,  and  in  driving  out  those  who  had 
succeeded  in  eluding  their  vigilance.  Vain  effort !  Expe- 
rience has  show'n  that  adventurers  or  hunters  after  the 
yellow  metal  will  not  and  cannot  be  stayed; — as  well 
attempt  to  stop  the  swollen  current  of  the  Father  of 
Waters  at  its  flood  tide,  in  its  resistless  rush  to  the  Gulf, — 
throw  obstacles  across  its  course,  and  it  will  remorselessly 
sweep  them  out  of  its  path,  or  overflow,  and  cut  a  new 
channel  for  its  mighty  volume  of  waters  to  speed  on  its 
way  to  the  sea.  Miners,  methinks,  when  determined  to 
reach  a  region  where  gold  is  reputed  to  exist,  are  quite  as 
slippery  as  the  proverbial  eel,  that  slips  through  the  hand, 
despite  the  firmness  of  the  grasp.  The  case  of  the  Black 
Hills  furnishes   an  exemplification   of  the  aptness  of   the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  115 

above  comparison,  for  even  had  a  cordon  of  soldiers  with 
extended  bayonets,  in  close  contact,  been  placed  around 
the  Hills,  doubtless  some  loophole  would  have  been  found 
to  slip  through. 

IMMIGRATION     TO    BLACK    HILLS    IN    1875-6. 

Immediately  upon  the  removal  of  the  first  expedition 
from  the  stockade  in  1875,  adventurers  began  to  make  their 
way  into  the  Hills,  but  not  until  late  in  the  fall  of  1875 
and  the  spring  of  1876  did  the  great  rush  of  immigration 
take  place,  when,  over  every  practicable  route  to  theHills,^ 
representatives  of  every  trade  and  profession  under  the 
sun  came  rushing  along,  figuratively,  tumbling  over  each 
other  in  their  headlong  haste  to  be  the  first  to  reach 
the  New  Eldorado,  each  individual  sanguine  of  realizing 
fabulous    wealth    on    reaching    the    end    of    his    journey. 

Some  were  in  companies,  varying  in  size,  with  wagons 
well  loaded  with  supplies,  and  munitions  of  war;  others 
on  horseback,  with  blankets  and  guns  strapped  on 
their  saddles,  their  waists  encircled  with  cartridge  belts 
and  bristling  with  revolvers,  knives,  etc., — veritable  mov- 
ing arsenals  —  while  many  were  on  foot,  with  all  their 
equipments  swung  on  a  stick  over  their  shoulders,  some- 
times traveling  by  day  and  hiding  by  night,  resorting  to 
various  devices  to  cover  up  their  trials,  thus  hoping  to 
escape  the  vengeance  of  the  marauding  Sioux,  who  were, 
in  the  spring  of  1876,  on  the  warpath,  fierce  for  the  scalps 
of  any  poor  pilgrim  who  might  be  found  treading  with 
sacrilegious  feet  on  their  cherished  hunting  ground.  Yet, 
alas !  many  of  them  met  their  death  at  the  hands  of 
the  ambushed  foe, — how  many  can  never  be  known. 
However,  the  numerous  new-made  graves,  seen  along  the 
various  highways  into  the  Hills,  marking  the  scenes  of  the 
dark  tragedies  enacted  near  by,  revealed  in  mute  but  elo- 
quent language,  the  sad  fate  of  not  a  few,  — graves  of  the 
poor  victims,  whose  mutilated  bodies  were  oftentimes  found 
and    hastily  buried  by  other  pilgrims  following    in    their 


116  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

wake  —  graves  with  only  a  small  piece  of  pine  board  to 
serve  as  a  monument  to  mark  the  spot,  and  with  no  other 
epitaph  than  the  one  simple  word  —  "  Unknown,"  inscribed 
thereon.  Yes,  unknown,  yet  who  had  mother,  wife,  or 
sister,  perhaps,  who  long  waited  and  watched  till  the  heart 
ached  and  the  eyes  grew  weary,  for  some  message  from 
the  absent  ones  who  would  never  return. 

We  have  all  seen  advertisements  in  some  of  the  news- 
papers, of  the  Black  Hills,  reading  thus:  "Information 
wanted  of ,  so  and  so  (giving  name,  age,  description,  etc.), 
who  left  his  home  for  the  Black  Hills  in  1875  or  1876,  as 
the  case  might  be,  since  which  time  he  has  not  been  heard 
from.  Any  information  regarding  him  will  be  thankfully 
received,  etc."  Many  of  those  missing  ones,  perchance, 
lie  buried  in  some  of  the  unknown  graves  scattered  along 
the  lines  of  early  travel  into  the  Black  Hills. 

A  journey  into  the  Black  Hills  in  1875-6  from  any  point, 
was  one  fraught  with  danger,  involving  in  1875  the  great 
probability  of  capture  by  the  United  States  soldiers,  and  in 
1876  that  of  meeting  the  deadly  Sioux,  who  were  then 
in  open  and  active  hostility.  Thus  they  were  literally  fac- 
ing possible  death  at  every  step  of  their  journey  over  the 
plains.  Notwithstanding  the  danger,  the  steady  influx 
continued,  some  being  forced  to  turn  back  before  reaching 
their  destination,  the  majority,  however,  managing  to  slip 
through  into  the  Hills. 

In  one  short  year  the  whole  aspect  of  the  Black  Hills  was 
transformed  from  a  wilderness  into  a  scene  of  busy  life, 
furnishing  to  those  who  had  seen  them  in  all  their  primi- 
tiveness  a  striking  contrast  indeed. 

The  impressive  silence,  the  profound  solitude,  that  had 
therefore  reigned  supreme  over  the  hills  and  valleys,  was 
rudely  broken. 

All  along  the  banks  of  various  streams  and  in  numerous 
gulches  of  the  Hills,  never  before  trodden  by  civilized  feet, 
might  be  seen  the  tents  of  hundreds  of  busy  prospectors  dili- 
gently delving  for  the    shining    particles    with    pick    and 


J 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


117 


shovel,  whose  noise  awoke  the  slumbering  echoes  of  the 
surrounding  hills ;  and  scores  of  others  might  be  seen 
sitting  prone,  along  the  edges  of  the  streams,  with  gold- 
pans  filled  with  gravel,  scooping  up  the  water,  whose  How 
and  ebb  washed  off  the  lighter  substance,  leaving  that  of 
the  greater  specific  gravity  in  the  bottom  of  their  pans  ; 
then  with  magnifying  glasses  eagerly  peering  into  the  little 
arcs  of  black  sand  left  in  the  bottom  of  their  pans  to  dis- 
cover the  traces  of  gold.  Did  they  find  gold?  Oh,  yes, 
they  always  found  colors,  each  one  claiming  an  average  of 
from  fifteen  to  forty  cents  to  the  pan  from  grass  roots 
down  to  bed-rock. 


118  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OR, 


CHAPTER     X. 

THE   FIRST  TO  ENTER  THE  HILLS  IN  1875. 

According  to  the  most  reliable  information  obtainable, 
the  first  to  reach  the  Black  Hills  in  the  spring  of  1875,  was 
a  small  party,  of  which  Wade  Porter,  Thos.  Monahan, 
Rob't  Kenyon,  Wm.  Coslett,  Alfred  Gay,  and  others,  were 
members;  with  a  sprinkling  of  squaw  men  and  half-breed 
Indians.  This  party  had  rendezvoused  near  Red  Cloud 
Agency  in  April,  1875,  awaiting  the  return  and  passage  of 
the  troops  having  the  prisoners  in  charge,  ready  to  follow 
back  their  trail  to  the  stockade.  It  is  to  be  presumed  that 
no  time  was  lost,  and  that  ere  the  troops  had  reached  Fort 
Laramie  with  their  prisoners,  this  party  had  entered  the 
wide  open  gates  of  our  once  boasted  stronghold  in  the  Hills, 
and  taken  possession  of  the  recently  vacated  cabins  within 
the  walls,  —  even  before  their  rude  hearthstones  had 
hardly  time  to  grow  cold,  —  and  it  is  further  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  no  time  was  lost  by  them  in  ferreting  out, 
and  bringing  forth  to  the  light  of  day  the  various  pieces 
of  property  that  had  been  so  carefully  cached  only  a  few 
days  before,  and,  perchance,  the  cattle  that  had  been 
driven  to  the  recesses  of  the  Hills  by  the  furious  snowstorm, 
at  the  time  of  the  exodus  of  their  owners,  were  soon  found 
and  appropriated  by  them, — all  of  which,  no  doubt, 
should  be  regarded  as  the  legitimate  booty  of  those  having 
the  good  fortune  of  finding  them.  But  I  draw  the  line  at 
the  trunk.  What  became  of  the  cached  trunk?  That  is 
the  problematic  question..  Alas  !  did  it  too  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  half-breeds  and  squaw  men?  To  a  moral  cer- 
tainty some  man  found  that  trunk  and  appropriated  its 
contents,  but  what  use  a  man  could  possibly  put  some  of 
the  garments  and  other  articles  to,  is  somewhat  puzzling. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  119 

It  certainly  needed  no  wonderful  detective   skill  to  have 
found  its  hidin«-place,  as  the  attention  of  anyone  entering 
the  third  cabin  on  the  left  of  the  entrance  to  the  stockade, 
would  at  once  be  attracted  to  a  rather  suspicious  looking 
spot  in  one  of  the  corners  of  the  cabin  floor,  —  which  would 
betray  the  secret.     When  I  say  floor,  I  mean  ground  floor, 
literally.     According  to  a  plausible  theory,  they  first  raked 
off  the  debris  from  the  surface,  then  shoveled  away  a  few 
inches  of  Mother  Earth,  removed  the  poles  that  spanned  the 
small  opening,  and  there  about  three  feet  below  the  surface 
it  stood  fully  revealed;   the  trunk  being  lifted  out,  and  the 
lid  pried  open,  the  work  of  desecration  began.     Garment 
after  garment  of  the  owner's  personal  wardrobe  was  taken 
out  and  curiously  scrutinized,  —  they  no  doubt  wondering 
what,  or   how  each    article  was    to  be  utilized,  —  nothing 
extremely  elaborate,   it    must    be    confessed,   yet-  all    she 
possessed.     But  the  half  has  not  yet  been  told.     On  reach- 
ing the  bottom  of  the  trunk,  a  small  mahogany  box  was 
found  in    which  was    deposited,  among   other    trinkets,    a 
little  golden  locket,  enwrapped  in  a  small  piece  of  tissue 
paper,  grown  yellow  with  the  passage  of  years,  which  en- 
closed   the    shadow    of   a    face,  — a   very    dear   face.     A 
romance?     Oh,  no,  there  was  no  romance  whatever   con 
nected     with    that     long-treasured    memento, —  only  the 
pictured  face  of  a  much  beloved  classmate,  who  bad,  years 
before,  left   her    work    unfinished  and  crossed    over    the 
border  into  the  spirit  land.     The  loss  of  this  picture  cut 
deep.  The  owner  of  that  wardrobe  was  for  many  years  after 
diligently  searching  for  a  dusky  maiden,  trigged  out  in  the 
garments  abstracted  from  that  ill-starred  trunk,  and  with 
a  little  golden  locket  suspended  from  her  bronzed  throat, 
or,  perchance,  from  one  of  her  dusky  ears,  —  but  without 
reward.     The  loser  has  long  since  ceased  to  regret  the  loss 
of    her  wardrobe   of    twenty  years  ago,  but  the    picture 
never;  and  woe  betide  the  luckless  maid,  or  fully-matured 
dame,    red  or   white,  who    is    ever    found    wearing    that 
cherished  locket. 


120  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

This  same  little  ptuty  of  golden  hunters,  who  had  fol- 
lowed up  so  quickly  the  exit  trail  of  the  first  pioneers, 
after  being  comfortably  domiciled  in  the  deserted  cabins, 
and  possessing  themselves  of  such  cached  property  as 
could  be  found  in  and  around  the  stockade,  which  included 
picks,  shovels,  gold  pans,  etc.,  proceeded  without  un- 
necessary delay  to  the  work  of  prospecting,  —  some  mining 
in  the  abandoned  works  on  French  creek,  others  scatter- 
ing out  through  the  Hills  in  search  of  richer  fields.  How- 
ever,  they  were  not  long  left  uninterrupted  in  their  labors. 
The  military  authorities  soon  learning  of  their  bold 
escapade  through  the  lines  into  the  Hills,  at  once  sent  a 
detachment  of  mounted  soldiers,  lead  by  Raymond,  a 
scout  in  the  government  service,  to  remove  them,  or  any 
others  who  might  be  found  in  the  Hills,  to  the  agency.  In 
the  early  part  of  May  those  of  the  party  who  remained  on 
French  creek  were  one  day  surprised  and  captured,  with 
their  provisions,  and  escorted  back  to  Red  Cloud  agency, 
where,  after  a  short  duress,  they  were  set  at  liberty  and 
their  property  restored  to  them.  It  is  to  be  presumed  that 
their  outward  march  was  not  characterized  by  the  headlong 
haste  with  which  they  entered  the  Hills,  not  many  days 
before.  However,  they  soon  returned  to  the  Hills  by  a  cir- 
cuitous route.  The  other  members  of  the  party  who 
escaped  capture  —  among  whom  was  Wade  Porter,  remained 
in  the  Hills,  until  the  arrival  of  the  Jenny  Expedition,  in 
June,  with  which  they  prospected  to  some  extent  under 
the  protection  of  Col.  Dodge's  command,  and  were  not 
afterwards  disturbed,  until  they,  with  hundreds  of  others, 
who,  in  the  meantime,  had  entered  the  Hills,  were  ordered 
out  by  Gen.  Crook  on  August  10th,  1875. 

THE    FIRST    EXPEDITION    IN    1875. 

The  first  well-equipped  expedition  to  embark  for  the 
Black  Hills  in  the  spring  of  1875  was  organized  and  out- 
fitted at  Sioux  City,  through  the  efforts  of  John  Gordon, 
who,  it  will   be  remembered,  left  the   stockade   with    Eaf 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     121 

Witcher,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  February  6th,  and  rode 
back  over  the  bleak  plains  to  Sioux  City,  bearing  the  shin- 
ing particles  that  were  to  set  the  whole  country  in  a  wild 
delirium.  Obviously,  no  time  had  been  lost  by  Gordon,  in 
carrying  out  the  plan  agreed  upon,  before  leaving  the 
stockade,  of  fitting  out  an  expedition  as  speedily  as  possi- 
ble, and  returning  with  reinforcements  and  supplies  to  the 
imperiled  little  band,  left  entrenched  among  the  mountains. 

The  state  of  the  public  mind  was  highly  auspicious  at  the 
time  for  the  organization  of  a  Black  Hills  expedition  evi- 
dently, for  in  a  little  more  than  sixty  days  from  the  time 
the  two  hardy  messengers  left  the  Hills,  the  organization 
was  complete;  outfits  were  purchased  and  every  one  ready 
for  marching  orders.  The  members  numbered  174  men, 
and  two  women,  one  of  whom  was  the  wife  of  Major 
Brockett  —  a  member  of  the  Collins  and  Russell  expedition 
of  1874;  the  other  a  German  woman,  whose  name  is  not 
positively  known.  It  is  believed,  however,  that  she  was 
Mrs.  Schlawig,  whose  husband  kept  a  brewery  in  Dead- 
wood  in  1876.  The  train  consisted  of  twenty-nine  wagons, 
heavily  freighted  with  provisions,  saddle  horses  and  all  the 
other  adjuncts  of  a  well-equipped  expedition. 

The  train  was  scheduled  to  leave  Sioux  City  on  the  20th 
of  April,  1875,  but  owing  to  the  mass  of  ice  floating  in  the 
river  the  ferryboat  was  unable  to  cross,  causing  a  delay  of 
several  days.  On  the  morning  of  the  25th  the  whistle  of 
the  steam  ferry  blew  the  signal  that  the  channel  was  clear, 
when  the  impatient  gold  adventurers  hurried  to  the  land- 
ing and  were  all  soon  landed  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  On  the  following  morning,  April  26th,  the  train, 
under  the  captaincy  of  John  Gordon,  marched  away  from 
the  west  bank  of  the  Missouri — ^  strangely  enough,  with- 
out attracting  the  notice  of  Uncle  Sam's  watchful  agents  — 
and  proceeded  on  its  way  westward  across  the  State  of 
Nebraska  unmolested  until,  reaching  a  point  on  the  Nio- 
brara river  between  Snake  and  Antelope  creeks,  near  the 
present  site  of  Gordon,  Neb.,  where,  at  6  o'clock  in  the 


122  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OR, 

morning  on  the  25th  of  May,  a  company  of  infantry  under 
Capt.  Walker,  and  two  troops  of  cavalry,  and  a  battery  of 
two  Gatling  guns,  from  Fort  Robinson,  in  command  of 
Capt.  Mills,  surrounded  the  expedition,  seized  and  burned 
nearly  the  entire  train,  with  its  valuable  cargo  of  mer- 
chandise, besides  the  blankets  and  personal  belongings  of 
many  of  the  party. 

One  of  the  wagons,  however,  was  saved  from  the  general 
holocaust  by  the  bravery  and  pertinacity  of  a  woman  — 
Mrs.  Brockett.  Mrs.  Brockett  occupied  a  seat  on  this 
wagon  on  the  top  of  a  load  of  merchandise  belonging  to 
her  husband,  and  do  you  suppose  she  could  be  induced  to 
yield  up  her  point  of  vantage  on  that  load  of  goods?  No, 
indeed ;  not  she !  Most  women  would  have  meekly  yielded, 
but  Mrs.  Brockett  didn't.  She  could  neither  be  persuaded, 
cajoled,  nor  frightened  into  giving  up  her  "  dead  cinch  " 
on  that  load  of  merchandise,  but  sat  as  immovable  as  a  rock 
and  as  imperturbable  as  the  famed  Egyptian  sphinx.  The 
officer  in  command  was  completely  nonplussed.  He  was 
too  gallant  a  gentleman  to  order  violent  hands  laid  upon 
a  lady;  neither  did  he  feel  quite  justified  in  turning  a 
Gatling  gun  upon  her,  and  of  course  it  wouldn't  do  to 
cremate  her  alive;  so,  after  exhausting  every  kind  of 
strategy  known  to  military  tactics,  he  was  finally  compelled 
to  face  the  wagon  about  with  its  load  of  merchandise  — 
including  the  plucky  Mrs.  Brockett,  who,  with  the  rest  of 
the  party,  were  marched  back  under  military  escort  to 
Yankton,  where  they  were  set  across  the  river  and  admon- 
ished not  to  return  with  trespassing  intent. 

John  Gordon,  the  leader  of  the  expedition,  was  taken 
into  custody  and  conducted  to  the  nearest  military  prison 
(Fort  Robinson),  where  he  was  held  until  August,  1875, 
when  he  was  taken  to  Omaha,  Neb.,  for  trial,  and  released 
by  Judge  Dundy,  of  that  city. 

The  train  of  this  expedition  belonged  to  the  Sioux  City 
and  Black  Hills  Transportation  Co.,  that  being  the  initial 
trip  of  the  line. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  123 

Despite  the  discouraging  fiiilure  of  his  second  adventure 
Gordon,  after  his  release,  with  admirable  pluck  and  per- 
severance returned  to  the  Hills,  but  hard  luck  seemed  to 
follow  him.  The  fickle  goddess  refused  to  smile  upon  his 
etiforts  and  would  not  be  propitiated. 

Meeting  our  former  leader  on  the  streets  of  Dead  wood, 
one  day,  late  in  the  70's,  I  ventured  to  inquire  how 
things  were  "  panning  out  "  for  him  in  the  Black  Hills.  He 
frankly  confided  to  me  that  he  had  not  as  yet  succeeded  in 
striking  "pay  gravel."  '*  Every  venture  has  so  far  proved 
a  disastrous  failure;  and  what  is  worse,  I  am  several  hun- 
dred dollars  out  of  pocket,"  he  answered.  By  way  of 
encouragement,  I  told  him,  in  reciprocal  confidence,  that 
we,  too,  had  gotten  clear  down  to  bed-rock,  with  not  a 
dollar  in  sight,  and  as  a  further  solace,  took  occasion  to 
remind  him  that  the  brave  were  not  always  rewarded  with 
success.  Since  that  day  I  have  never  seen  the  leader  and 
guide  of  the  first  expedition  to  the  Black  Hills. 

SCIENTIFIC  EXPEDITION  SENT  TO  THE  BLACK  HILLS. 

In  the  spring  of  1875,  after  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the 
Black  Hills,  and  even  before  the  first  expedition  was  re- 
moved from  the  stockade,  the  government,  foreseeing  the 
inevitable  consequences  of  such  discovery,  and  antici- 
pating the  difficulty  of  preventing  trespassers  from  entering 
upon  the  Sioux  reserve,  and,  at  the  same  time,  unwilling 
that  the  then  existing  treaty  stipulation  should  be  violated, 
deemed  it  expedient  that  immediate  steps  be  taken,  in  the 
interest  of  miners  as  well  as  for  the  protection  of  the  In- 
dians, towards  securing  the  right,  by  new  treaty,  or  other- 
wise, to  enter  the  Black  Hills  portion  of  the  Sioux  reserva- 
tion for  the  purposes  of  prospecting  and  mining. 

Preliminary  to  this,  however,  inasmuch  as  there  were 
many  conflicting  rumors  in  regard  to  the  existence  of  gold 
in  paying  quantities,  the  government  decided  to  send 
reliable  parties  into  the  reputed  gold-bearing  region,  to 
ascertain  the  true  value  and  extent  of  its  mineral  deposits, 


124  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

or  other  possible  resources.  A  report  of  the  result  of  such 
investigation  would  furnish  substantial  information  upon 
which  to  base  an  intelligent  judgment,  in  the  event  of  any 
subsequent  negotiations  for  the  acquisition  of  the  Black 
Hills,  and  their  abandonment  by  the  Indians. 

Accordingly,  an  expedition  for  that  purpose  was  organ- 
ized under  the  direction  and  control  of  the  Interior  Depart- 
ment and  Walter  P.  Jenny,  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of 
the  work,  —  receiving  his  commission,  March  26th,  1875. 
On  April  25th  the  expedition,  fully  manned  and  equipped, 
was  gathered  at  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  ready  to  embark  for 
the  Black  Hills,  to  enter  upon  the  important  work  intrusted 
to  it.  Owing  to  some  misunderstanding,  however,  the  nec- 
essary transportation  facilities  had  not  been  furnished,, 
which  necessitated  a  delay  of  nearly  a  month. 

At  length,  on  the  20th  day  of  May,  everything  being  in 
readiness,  the  expedition  started  for  Fort  Laramie,  where 
it  was  joined  by  a  military  escort,  under  the  command  of 
Lieut. -Col.  R.  T.  Dodge,  23d  Infantry,  when  the  whole 
party  moved  on  Black  Hills- ward. 

As  the  extent  and  scope  of  the  work  to  be  accomplished, 
was  designed  to  be  of  far-reaching  importance,  both  from 
a  material  and  scientific  standpoint,  it  was  deemed  advis- 
able to  change  the  original  plan  by  adding  to  the  corps  an 
astronomer  and  topographer,  Capt.  P.  H.  Tutlle,  of  Cam- 
bridge University,  and  Dr.  V.  T.  McGillicuddy,  at  present 
of  Rapid  City,  South  Dakota,  being  commissioned  to  the 
respective  positions. 

As  much  of  the  history  of  the  Black  Hills  during  the 
year  1875,  is  embodied  in  the  reports  of  officers  in  charge 
of  the  scientific  and  military  expeditions  ordered  into  the 
Hills,  and  is  therefore  a  matter  of  public  record,  I  feel 
justified  in  copying  such  reports,  either  as  a  whole,  or  in 
part,  as  the  only  available  source  from  which  to  obtain 
absolutely  correct  information  in  regard  to  the  work  and 
movements  of  said  expeditions. 

From  Prof.  Jenny's  published  account  of  the  movements 


PROF.    WALTER   P.    JENNY, 


Photographed  about  March,   1878,  and  a  good  representation  of   the 

youthful  Geologist,  at  the  time  of  the  Black  Hills 

Scientific  Expedition  in  1875. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  125 

of  the  expedition  under  his  charge,  after  leaving  Cheyenne, 
I  copy  the  following:  — 

"  Arriving  at  Fort  Laramie  on  May  20th,  all  arrange- 
ments were  consummated,  and  crossing  the  Phitle  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  24th  of  May,  we  joined  the  military 
escort,  furnished  by  the  War  Department,  consisting  of 
Lieut. -Col.  E.  T.  Dodge,  Twenty-third  Infantry,  com- 
manding; Lieut.  M.  F.  Trout,  Ninth  Infantry,  adjutant ; 
Lieut.  J.  F.  Trout,  Twenty-third  Infantry,  quartermaster; 
Lieut.  J.  G.  Bourke,  Third  Cavalry,  topographer ;  and 
Surgeons  Jaquette  and  Kane,  with  two  companies  of  the 
Ninth  Infantry  under  Capts.  A.  H.  Bowan,  Munson  and 
Lieut.  DeLaney;  two  companies  of  the  Second  Cavalry 
under  Capt.  Spaulding  and  Lieuts.  C.  F.  Hall,  J.  H. 
Cole  and  F.  W.  Kingbury  ;  four  companies  of  the  Third 
Cavalry  under  Capts.  W.  Hawley,  G.  Russell,  and  W. 
H.  Wessels,  and  Lieuts,  A.  D.  King,  R.  G.  Whitman, 
James  Lawson,  J.  G.  Foster,  and  C.  Norton,  with  a  train  of 
seventy-five  wagons. 

"  This  large  command,  numbering  full  400  men,  would 
seem  at  first  unnecessarily  strong  for  the  mere  purpose  of 
protecting  from  Indians  those  who  were  pursuing  the  in- 
vestigation in  the  Hills,  but  the  attitude  of  the  Indians  on 
the  penetration  of  this,  the  most  cherished  spot  of  their 
reservation,  could  not  be  foretold,  and  it  was  known  that 
they  had  been  not  a  little  agitated  by  the  invasions  of 
Gen.  Custer  in  the  previous  year,  and  by  the  subse- 
quent visits  and  operations  of  miners.  Though  no  bands 
of  Indians  were  met  during  the  work,  our  safety  and  free- 
dom from  their  visits  were  probably  due  to  the  well-known 
magnitude  and  strength  of  the  expedition. 

"  A  great  measure  of  the  success  of  the  exploration  is 
due  to  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  oflicers  of  the  com- 
mand, but  particularly  to  the  commander.  Col.  Dodge, 
whose  unwavering  interest  and  determination  to  make  the 
work  successful,  and  whose  constant  assistance  and  court- 
esy were  especially  valuable  and  grateful  during  the  entire 


126  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

course  of  the  work.  To  Lieuts.  Norton  and  Foster, 
who  were  detailed  for  topographical  work,  Dr.  McGilli- 
cuddy  is  indebted  for  assistance  in  the  prosecution  of  his 
mapping. 

"  Reaching  the  Black  Hills  on  the  east  fork  of  the  Beaver 
on  the  3d  day  of  June,  the  work  of  the  survey  was  soon 
begun,  and  a  permanent  camp  was  established  on  French 
creek  near  the  stockade  erected  by  the  miners  during  the 
previous  winter.  In  order  to  pursue  the  work  more  rap- 
idly and  thoroughly  a  division  of  the  party  was  made,  as 
follows :  — 

"  Mr.  Jenny,  with  a  corps  of  assistants,  assumed  more 
particularly  the  investigation  of  the  mineral  resources  of 
the  country,  prospecting  the  gold  deposits,  etc.,  while  the 
remainder  of  the  party,  Mr.  Newton,  Dr.  McGillicuddy,  and 
Capt.  Tuttle  continued  the  topographical  and  more  com- 
plete geological  study  of  the  Hills.  As  the  work  of  the 
survey  progressed  northward  the  main  body  of  the  escort 
of  troops  was  transferred  from  one  base  of  supplies  to 
another,  so  as  to  keep  up  with  the  course  of  the  expedi- 
tion. In  this  manner,  with  scarcely  a  day's  remission 
from  work,  the  surve}'  continued  until  the  entire  area  of 
the  Black  Hills  between  the  forks  Of  the  Cheyenne  had 
been  mapped,  and  its  geology  and  mineral  resources  de- 
termined, as  fully  as  the  rapid  progress  would  permit. 

"  Having  passed  over  the  entire  country,  and  accom- 
plished the  object  of  the  expedition,  the  various  parties 
assembled  on  the  Cheyenne,  at  the  mouth  of  Rapid  creek, 
and  began  the  march  homeward,  reaching  Fort  Laramie 
via  White  River  and  the  agencies  of  Spotted  Tail  and  Red 
Cloud,  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  October,  after  an  absence 
of  four  months  and  twenty  daj's." 

Having  disbanded  the  expedition  at  Chej'enne,  the  offi- 
cers of  the  survey  returned  east,  and  assembled  in  Wash- 
ington early  in  November  to  complete  their  reports.  While 
in  the  field,  the  various  discoveries  of  the  presence  of  gold 
in  the  different  districts  were  announced  to  the  Comrais- 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     127 

sioner  of  Indian  Affairs  at  Washington,  and  a  preliminary 
report  by  Mr.  Jenny  on  the  mineral  resources  of  the  Hills, 
accompanied  by  a  small  preliminary  map  by  Dr.  McGilli- 
cuddy,  was  published  in  the  annual  re})ort  of  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Indian  Affairs  for  1875.  The  completed  obser- 
vations of  the  mineral  resources,  climate,  etc.,  possessing 
immediate  and  particular  interest,  were,  by  resolution  of 
the  Senate,  called  for  in  advance  of  the  final  report,  and 
with  a  preliminary  map  were  published  in  1876. 

The  subjoined  account,  given  by  Professor  Jenny,  of  his 
meeting  with  the  miners  on  French  creek,  may  be  read 
with  interest:  — 

"  When  I  reached  French  creek,  June  16th,  1875,  about 
fifteen  men  were  found  camped  four  miles  above  the  stock- 
ade, where  they  had  been  at  work  for  several  weeks,  and 
had  staked  off  claims,  built  small  dams  and  were  digging 
ditches,  preparatory  to  commencing  sluicing  on  the  bars 
along  the  banks  of  the  streams.  These  miners  were  very 
enthusiastic  in  regard  to  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  gulch  ; 
they  were  reporting  from  five  to  twenty-five  cents  to  the 
pan  from  the  gravel,  and  made  the  most  extravagant  state- 
ments as  to  the  yield  which  would  be  obtained  as  soon  as 
they  commenced  working  with  sluices.  But  they  were 
working  under  unfavorable  circumstances,  the  water  supply 
was  very  small —  not  exceeding  fifty  miner's  inches,  with 
every  indication  that  it  would  soon  fail  entirely,  and  the 
grade  of  the  valley  was  so  small  that  it  was  difficult  to  get  a 
good  head  of  water  for  sluicing. 

"  On  testing,  by  washing  the  pay  gravel  from  the  different 
prospect  holes  already  opened,  with  a  pan,  and  weighing 
the  gold  obtained,  it  was  found  that  the  usual  yield  along 
the  streams  was  from  four  to  eight  colors  to  the  pan 
(about  one-tenth  to  one-fifth  of  a  cent),  and  in  favorable 
and  somewhat  limited  localities,  from  a  half  cent  to  as 
high  as  one  and  a  half  cents  were  obtained  from  the  gravel 
from  off  bed-rock. 

"  The  gravel  bars  were  rich  enough  in  gold  to  pay  if  exten- 


128  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

sively  worked  under  more  favorable  circumstances,  but  too 
poor  to  yield  a  remunerative  return  for  the  labor  employed, 
except  in  a  few  limited  deposits  of  gravel  near  the  extreme 
head  of  the  stream.'* 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  Professor  Jenny's  dispatch  to 
the  Department  at  Washington  from  camp  on  French 
creek  :  — 

"  Camp  on  French  Creek,  June  17th,  1875. 
To  Hon.  E.  P.  Smith,  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs, 
Washington,  D.  C . : 

I  have  discovered  gold  in  small  quantities  on  the  north 
bend  of  Castle  creek,  in  terraces  of  bars  and  quartz  gravel. 
Arrived  here  yesterday.  About  fifteen  men  have  located 
claims  on  the  creek  above  here  and  have  commenced  work- 
ing. Gold  is  found  southward  to  French  creek  at  this 
point.  The  region  has  not  been  fully  explored,  but  the 
yield  of  gold  is  small  and  the  richness  of  the  gravel  has 
been  greatly  exaggerated.  The  prospect,  at  present,  is  not 
such  as  to  warrant  extensive  operations  in  mining. 

Walter  P.  Jenny,  E.  M., 
Geologist  of  Exploration  of  the  Black  Hills." 

The  thought  may  here  occur  to  the  mind  of  the  reader, 
as  it  has  to  mine,  that  the  results  of  the  work  of  explora- 
tion of  the  Black  Hills  for  mineral  deposits,  as  shown  by 
the  reports  of  Professor  Jenny  to  the  Commissioner  of 
Indian  Affairs,  was  by  no  means  of  an  encouraging 
nature.  The  infinitesimal  prospects  obtained  were  not 
calculated  to  inspire  the  belief  that  the  placer  min- 
ing in  the  territory  examined  could,  by  even  the 
most  approved  processes,  be  made  very  remunerative. 
Of  course,  the  existence  of  gold  was  demonstrated  and 
much  other  valuable  information  obtained,  in  reference  to 
their  geology,  topograph}^  etc.,  yet  the  result  certainly 
furnished  but  small  evidence  that  the  Black  Hills  would 
ever  become  the  great  mineral  producing  country  into 
which  it  has  since  developed.     But,  when  it  is  remembered 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


129 


that  the  marvelous  placer  deposits  of  the  northern  Hills 
had  not  yet  been  discovered,  and  when  it  is  considered 
that  no  systematic  mining  was  practicable  and  the  pros- 
pects obtained  were  merely  pan  tests,  from  the  surface 
down  to  bed-rock,  at  more  or  less  widely  separated  points, 
the  homeopathic  character  of  the  prospects  obtained  ceases 
to  be  a  matter  of  surprise.  However,  by  years  of  persist- 
ent work,  with  an  ever-abiding  faith  in  the  final  outcome, 
it  has  since  been  demonstrated  that  the  Black  Hills  is  pre- 
eminently a  gold-producing  country.  Discoveries  have 
been  made,  and  are  being  made,  almost  daily,  in  both  the 
northern  and  southern  Hills,  that  have  proved  a  wonderful 
revelation  to  the  mining  world. 


130  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE  CESSION  OF   THE  BLACK  HILLS. 

AH  attempts  of  the  government  to  keep  the  people  out 
of  the  Black  Hills,  proved  from  the  first  unsuccessful. 
From  the  time  the  first  expedition  succeeded  in  secretly 
launching  its  "  prairie  craft  "  and  eluding  subsequent  pur- 
suit, and  in  finally  planting  its  banners  amid  the  natural 
battlements  of  the  Hills,  right  within  the  "  holy  of  holies  " 
of  the  hunting  ground  of  the  Sioux,  it  became  evident  that 
the  government  would  soon  be  compelled  to  yield  to  the 
popular  demand,  that  some  arrangement  be  made  with  the 
Indians,  looking  to  the  relinquishment  of  their  claim  to 
the  Black  Hills  portion  of  their  reservation.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  it  was  no  part  of  the  governmental  policy,  that  this 
resourceful  land  should  any  longer  be  reserved  for  the  sole 
use  of  savages,  but  to  make  favorable  terms  for  its  relin- 
quishment possible  it  was  necessary  that  an  effort  be  made 
to  maintain  inviolate  the  provisions  of  the  then  existing 
treaty;  therefore  to  accomplish  the  desired  end,  two  things 
had  to  be  done:  first,  to  appoint  a  commission  to  treat 
with  the  Indians  for  the  cession  of  the  Black  Hills,  or  for 
their  occupancy  for  mining  ;  second,  to  remove  by  military 
force,  as  far  as  practicable,  all  trespassers  from  the  Indian 
reserve. 

In  pursuance  of  that  policy,  on  the  18th  day  of  June, 
1875,  a  commission  was  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  for  the  purpose  of  treating  with  the  Indians  ;  and 
on  the  20th  of  September  of  the  same  year,  the  combined 
council  of  commissioners  and  Indians  rendezvoused  on  the 
White  river,  about  eight  miles  from  Red  Cloud  Agency. 
The  representatives   of  the   government  present   were  as 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  131 

follows:  Hon.  Wm,  B.  Allison,  of  Iowa;  Brig. -Gen.  A.  H. 
Terry,  U.  S.  A.;  S.  D.  Hinman,  Santee  agency;  W.  H. 
Ashley,  Beatrice,  Nebraska;  Hon.  A.  Comings,  Missonri  ; 
G.  P.  Beauvais,  St.  Lonis,  Missouri;  A.  G.  Lawrence, 
Rhode  Island. 

The  following  tribes  of  Indians  were  represented:  The 
Ogalallas,  Mineconjons,  Brules,  Uncapapas,  Blackfeet, 
Sans  Ares,  Yanktons,  Santees,  Cheyennes,  and  Arapahoes. 

As  might  have  been  expected,  their  deliberations  proved 
barren  of  good  results.  Owing  to  the  dictation  of  a  few 
degenerate,  renegade  white  men,  and  the  Indians  half- 
breeds,  their  demands  were  so  exorbitant  as  to  render 
negotiations  at  that  time  out  of  the  question.  From 
$30,000  they  raised  their  price  finally  to  $70,000,  in  addi- 
tion to  which  they  wanted  large  herds  of  cattle,  and 
horses,  agricultural  implements,  the  most  approved  guns, 
plenty  of  ammunition,  and  palatial  residences  that  would 
compare  favorably  with  those  occupied  by  the  wealthv 
pale-faces,  with  tapestry  hangings,  upholstered  furniture, 
etc.,  for  their  chiefs;  and  it  is  hard  to  tell  what  their  limit 
might  have  been  if  the  conference  had  continued  lono^er. 
The  commissioners,  of  course,  refused  to  consider  these 
unreasonable  demands,  and  the  council  broke  up,  without 
accomplishing  their  object. 

It  is  stated  by  a  gentleman  who  was  present  on  that 
occasion,  that  before  the  pow-wow  closed  the  Indians  had 
become  insolent  and  defiant,  and  when  negotiations  came 
to  an  end,  some  of  the  chiefs  assumed  an  attitude  of 
decided  hostility,  —  hostility  indicating  that  they  would 
much  like  to  bear  away  the  scalps  of  the  commissioners  as 
trophies,  in  lieu  of  the  $70,000  and  other  property  de- 
manded for  their  land.  For  a  time  an  outbreak  seemed 
imminent,  which,  however,  was  happily  averted  by  the 
wiser  counsels  of  the  few. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  failure  of  the  commission 
to  treat  with  the  Indians  was  a  source  of  keen  disappoint- 
ment to    the  hundreds  of  miners  in  the  Hills,  who  were 


132  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

being  so  persistently  harassed  by  the  soldiers  as  to  render 
any  extensive  or  successful  prospecting  impracticable;  and 
also  to  many  who  were  standing  outside  the  golden  gate 
waiting  for  the  permission  and  consent  of  the  government 
to  enter  the  forbidden  country.  Miners  became  clamorous 
for  what  they  regarded  as  their  rights,  which  they  were 
determined  to  have  at  all  hazards  —  if  not  with,  then  with- 
out, the  consent  of  the  government. 

President  Grant  was  quick  to  see  that  some  further  effort 
must  be  made  to  relieve  the  embarrassment  of  the  situa- 
tion, as  the  following  extract  from  his  message  to  Congress 
in  reference  to  the  matter,  will  show:  — 

"The  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Black  Hills,  a  portion  of 
the  Sioux  reservation,  has  had  the  etfect  to  induce  a  large 
emigration  to  that  point.  Thus  far  the  effort  to  preserve 
the  treaty  rights  of  the  Indians  of  that  section  has  been 
successful,  but  the  next  year  will  witness  a  large  increase 
of  such  emigration.  The  negotiations  for  the  relinquish- 
ment of  the  gold  lands  having  failed,  it  will  be  necessary 
for  Congress  to  adopt  some  measure  to  relieve  the  embar- 
rassment growing  out  of  the  causes  named. 

*'  The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  suggests  that  the  sup- 
plies now  appropriated  for  that  people,  being  no  longer 
obligatory  under  the  treaty  of  1868,  but  simply  a  gratuity, 
may  be  issued  or  withheld  at  his  discretion." 

Congress  then  took  the  matter  under  consideration,  which 
resulted  in  the  appointment  of  a  second  commission  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior.  In  August,  1876,  this  commission 
met  ao'ain  in  council  with  the  representatives  of  the  various 
tribes,  under  instructions  from  the  Interior  Department  to 
treat   with  the  Indians  on  the  following  specific  terms:  — 

1st.  The  Indians  to  relinquish  all  right  and  claim  to  any 
countrv  outside  the  boundaries  of  the  permanent  reserva- 
tion, as  established  by  the  treaty  of  1868. 

2d.  To  relinquish  all  right  and  claim  to  so  much  of  that 
said  reservation  as  lies  west  of  the  103d  meridian  of  longi- 
tude. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  133 

3d.  To  grant  right  of  way  over  the  permanent  reserva- 
tion to  that  point  thereof  which  lies  west  of  the  103d 
meridian  of  longitude,  for  wagon  and  other  roads,  from 
convenient  and  accessible  points  on  the  Missouri  river,  not 
exceeding  three  in  number. 

4th.  To  receive  all  such  supplies  as  are  provided  for  by 
said  act  and  said  treaty  of  1868,  at  such  points  and  places 
on  their  said  reservation  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Missouri 
river,  as  the  President  may  designate. 

5th.  To  enter  into  such  agreement  or  arrangement  with 
the  President  of  the  United  States  as  shall  be  calculated 
and  designed  to  enable  said  Indians  to  become  self-sup- 
porting. 

Negotiations  this  time  proved  successful,  and  on  Septem- 
ber 26th,  1876,  at  Red  Cloud  Agency,  the  following  eupho- 
nious and  suggestive  signatures  (in  Indian  chirography,  1 
suppose),  were  attached  to  the  treaty,  namely:  Red  Cloud, 
American  Horse,  Young-Man-Afraid-of-His-Horse,  Little 
Wound,  Red  Dog,  Afraid-of-the-Bear,  Three  Bears,  Fire 
Hunter,  Quick  Bear,  Red  Leaf,  Five  Eyes,  White  Bow, 
Good  Bull,  Lone  Horse,  Two  Lance,  Bad  Wound,  Veasel 
Bear,  High  Bear,  He-Takes-the-Indian-Soldier,  High  Wolf, 
Big  Thunder,  and  Slow  Bull. 

The  above  treaty  was  ratified  by  Congress,  and  approved 
by  the  President,  on  February  28th,  1877. 

The  territory  ceded  by  this  treaty  is  embraced  between 
the  two  forks  of  the  Cheyenne  river,  and  is  bounded  on  the 
west  by  the  104  degree  meridian  of  longitude. 

It  will  be  seen  by  studying  the  provisions  of  this  treaty, 
that  by  its  terms  the  Indians  from  a  material  standpoint 
lost  much,  and  gained  but  little.  By  the  first  article  they 
lose  all  rights  to  the  unceded  Indian  territory  in  Wyoming 
from  which  white  settlers  had  then  before  been  altogether 
excluded ;  by  the  second  they  relinquish  all  right  to  the 
Black  Hills,  and  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Belle  Fourche  in 
Dakota,  without  additional  material  compensation;  by  the 
third  conceding  the  right  of  way  over  the  unceded  portions 


134  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

of  their  reservation  ;  by  the  fourth  they  receive  such  sup- 
plies only,  as  were  provided  by  the  treaty  of  1868,  restricted 
as  to  the  points  for  receiving  them.  The  only  real  gain 
to  the  Indians  seems  to  be  embodied  in  the  fifth  article  of 
the  treaty.  The  Indians,  doubtless,  realized  that  the  Black 
Hills  was  destined  soon  to  slip  out  of  their  grasp,  regard- 
less of  their  claims,  and  therefore  thought  it  best  to  yield 
to  the  inevitable,  and  accept  whatever  was  offered  them. 

They  were  assured  of  a  continuance  of  their  regular  daily 
rations,  and  certain  annuities  in  clothing  each  year,  guar- 
anteed by  the  treaty  of  1868,  and  what  more  could  they 
ask  or  desire,  than  that  a  living  be  provided  for  themselves, 
their  wives,  their  children,  and  all  their  relations,  including 
squaw  men,  indirectly,  thus  leaving  them  free  to  live  their 
wild,  careless,  unrestrained  life,  exempt  from  all  the 
burdens  and  responsibilities  of  civilized  existence  ?  In  view 
of  the  fact  that  there  are  thousands  who  are  obliged  to 
earn  their  bread  and  butter  by  the  sweat  of  their  brows, 
and  that  have  hard  work  to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door, 
they  should  be  satisfied. 

THE    ADVENT    OF    GEN.    CROOK    IN    THE    BLACK    HILLS. 

In  the  early  part  of  July  almost  simultaneously  with  the 
appointment  of  the  first  commission  to  treat  with  the  Sioux 
for  their  occupancy  Gen.  Crook  arrived  in  the  Hills  with  a 
military  force,  for  the  purpose  of  expelling  all  persons 
to  be  found  in  the  Hills  without  the  consent  and  sanction 
of  the  government. 

This,  it  is  believed,  was  undertaken  more  from  consider- 
ations of  policy  in  order  to  conciliate  the  Indians,  who,  it 
was  thought,  would  refuse  to  negotiate,  until  trespassers 
were  removed  from  their  territory,  than  with  any  ex- 
pectation, or  even  hope,  that  the  effort  would  prove 
successful. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  Gen.  Crook  was  plainly  inclined  to 
give  the  miners  a  wide  latitude,  and  fulfilled  his  mission,  it 
seemed,   in   a  sort   of  perfunctory   way.     Major  Pollock, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  135 

however,  who  was  in  command  of  the  military  forces,  was 
disposed  to  execute  his  orders  to  the  very  letter,  and  is 
credited  with  a  great  deal  of  "pernicious  activity,"  in 
harassing  the  miners,  —  forcing  them  to  dodge  about 
from  point  to  point  to  escape  arrest  and  expulsion,  and 
sometimes,  in  extreme  cases,  in  placing  them  in  "  durance 
vile,"  and  feeding  them  on  hard  tack  and  water.  In 
short,  Major  Pollock  kept  the  miners  in  perpetual  hot 
water,  during  his  nearly  four  months  stay  in  the  Black 
Hills. 

One  day,  about  the  middle  of  October,  a  squad  of  cavalry, 
while  scouring  the  Hills  in  search  of  trespassers,  surprised 
a  small  party  of  some  half-dozen  miners,  who  were  prospect- 
ing on  Castle  creek,  took  them  into  custody,  relieved  them 
of  their  property,  and  escorted  them  to  military  headquar- 
ters at  Custer,  where  they  were  put  in  the  "  guardhouse," 
or  some  kind  of  an  inclosure  prepared  for  recalcitrant 
miners.  After  being  kept  prisoners  for  several  days,  they 
were  sent  to  Cheyenne  to  be  tried  before  the  United  States 
commissioner,  who,  concluding,  doubtless,  that  he  had  no 
valid  right  to  hold  them,  soon  released  them,  and  restored 
their  property. 

Among  these  prisoners  were  Wade  Porter  and  T.  H. 
Mallory,  prominent  miners  in  the  Hills  in  1875,  both  of 
whom  had  returned  to  the  Hills,  after  having  voluntarily 
left  about  the  middle  of  August,  in  compliance  with  the 
order  of  Gen.  Crook.  This,  it  appears,  was  their  second 
offense,  in  consequence  of  which  they  were  made  an  exam- 
ple of.  Soon  after  their  discharge,  nothing  daunted,  they 
with  others  again  returned  to  the  Hills,  late  in  the  fall  of 
1875,  and  remained  during  the  winter  following. 

The  history  of  these  few  is  also  the  history  in  part  of 
hundreds  of  other  prospectors  who  were  driven  out  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet,  only  to  return  at  the  first  favorable 
opportunity  by  some  circuitous  route,  and  re-enter  at  some 
other  point,  then  scatter  out  through  the  gulches  of  the 
Hills.     These  offensive  and  defensive  movements  were  kept 


136  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

up  during  the  entire  summer  of  1875,  the  solution  of  the 
problem  being  no  nearer  at  its  close  than  at  the  beginning. 

MINERS    LEAVE    THE    HILLS    BY    ORDER    OF    GEN.    CROOK. 

Pursuant  to  instructions  from  the  government,  Gen. 
Crook,  on  the  10th  day  of  August,  issued  a  call  to  the 
miners  to  meet  at  the  stockade  near  Custer,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  entering  into  preliminary  arrangements  for  leaving 
the  Hills,  until  some  terms  for  opening  the  country  to  set- 
tlement could  be  agreed  upon  with  the  Indians,  and  also, 
incidentally,  to  make  rules  and  regulations  for  the  protec- 
tion of  their  claims,  pending  negotiations.  As  one  of  the 
conditions  of  their  voluntary  exodus  the  miners  presented  a 
petition  to  the  commanding  general,  asking  that  six  or 
more  men  of  their  own  choosing  be  permitted  to  remain  in 
the  Hills  to  guard  their  claims  durina:  the  absence  of  their 
owners.  Gen.  Crook,  who  was  in  full  sympathy  with  the 
miners,  was  disposed  to  allow  them  every  reasonable  op- 
portunity for  throwing  any  kind  of  a  safeguard  around  the 
property  they  were  so  reluctantly  leaving,  expressed  a 
willingness  to  grant  their  petition,  and  further,  would  allow 
them  five  days  in  which  to  make  preparations  for  leaving, 
provided  they  would  then  go  out  of  the  Hills,  without 
compelling  him  to  resort  to  force.  Believing  that  their 
own  interests  would  be  best  served  by  complying,  the 
miners  unanimously  agreed  to  the  proposed  terms. 

On  the  following  morning,  August  11th,  a  town-site 
company  was  organized,  a  site  of  a  mile  square  was  laid 
out  and  platted  and  named  Custer.  The  blocks  were 
divided  into  lots  which  were  numbered  from  one  up  to 
twelve  hundred.  Tickets  bearing  these  numbers  were 
deposited  in  a  box,  from  which  on  that  day  several  hundred 
miners  drew  slips  and  became  the  owners  of  the  lots  corre- 
sponding in  number  with  those  drawn  from  the  receptacle. 
A  list  of  the  names  of  lot  owners  was  given  into  the  custody 
of  the  men  chosen  as  guardians  of  the  miners'  property 
interests,    during    their    temporary    absence.     The    men 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


137 


chosen  to  remain  in  the  Hills  were  ;  Saml.  Shankland,  Thos. 
Hooper,  A.  D.  Trask,  Robt.  Kenyon,  W.  H.  Wood,  Alex. 
Thompson,  Alfred  Gay,  and  H.  F.  Hull. 

August  15th,    1875,  hundreds    of    miners    of  their  own 
volition  turned  their  backs  upon  the  new  found  Eldorado. 


RED   CLOUD. 


Other  miners,  not  within  the  reach  of  Gen.  Crook's  procla- 
mation, upon  hearing  of  the  action  taken  at  the  stockade, 
also  left  the  Hills  a  few  days  later.  Let  it  be  understood, 
however,  that  a  considerable  number  of  miners  and  pros- 
pectors, scattered  about  at  remote  points,  were  never 
reached.     A  few  others  also,  who  were  prospecting  with  the 


138  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Jenny  Expedition,  among  whom  were  John  W.  Allen, 
Brown,  Carlin,  Flarida,  and  Warren  (our  "  Uncle  Newt  "), 
were  not  molested.  There  were  a  great  many  miners  yet 
left  in  the  Hills,  and  others  constantly  coming  to  take  the 
places  of  those  who  had  left. 

SPOTTED    TAIL    IN    THE    BLACK    HILLS. 

During  the  month  of  August,  1875,  one  of  the  head 
chiefs  of  the  Sioux  Nation,  and  twelve  braves  of  his  tribe, 
with  their  ponies,  trappings,  and  dogs,  accompanied  by  an 
Indian  agfent,  arrived  in  the  Black  Hills,  the  object  of  the 
visit  being  to  investigate  and  judge  for  themselves  of  the 
true  value  of  the  territory  to  be  relinquished,  —  such 
knowledge  to  be  used  to  the  advantage  of  their  people  in 
the  approaching  council.  That  their  estimate  of  the  value 
of  the  Black  Hills  and  their  resources  was  great  was  evi- 
denced by  the  extravagant  consideration  demanded  therefor 
a  month  later. 

MINERS    RETURN    TO    THE    HILLS. 

After  the  failure  of  the  commission  to  agree  upon  any 
terms  with  the  representatives  of  the  Sioux,  for  the  opening 
of  the  country  to  settlement,  the  miners,  who  had  volun- 
tarily left  the  Hills  at  the  request  of  Gen.  Crook,  with 
renewed  determination  returned  and  repossessed  them- 
selves of  their  abandoned  claims,  also  with  them  hundreds 
of  others  who  entered  the  Hills  for  the  first  time. 

The  cavalry,  meanwhile,  were  kept  exceedingly  active 
in  their  attempts  to  keep  back  the  invaders,  which  efforts 
proved  fruitless,  as,  if  driven  out  at  one  point  they  were 
sure  to  re-enter  at  another. 

THE     JENNY    EXPLORING    EXPEDITION    COMPLETES    ITS    WORK. 

The  Jenny  Exploring  Expedition,  having  finished  theim" 
portant  work  that  had  been  intrusted  to  it,  left  the  Hills 
with  its  military  escort,  about  the  first  of  October,  1875. 
On   the  outward  march  Col.  Dodge  reported  having  met 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAllS. 


139 


California  Joe  with  about  forty  or  fifty  men,  on  the  south 
fork  of  the  Cheyenne  river,  en  route  for  the  Hills. 

THE  CAVALRY  FORCE  WITHDRAWN. 

About  the  1st    of  December,  1875,  Capt.   Pollock  and 
his  cavalry  force  were   withdrawn  from  the  Hills,  at  which 


SPOTTED    TAIL. 

time  all  military  opposition  to  immigration  ceased.  About 
the  same  time,  the  Indians  doffed  their  feathers,  rubbed 
off  their  war  paint,  and  suspended  active  hostilities  for  the 
winter,  to  be  renewed  with  increased  violence  and  added 
horrors  in  the  early  spring  of  1876.  All  opposition 
bein^y  removed,  the  rush    began.     Not  only    miners   who 


140  THE    BLACK     HILLS  ;    OR, 

could  now  prosecute  their  search  for  gold  without  molesta- 
tion, but  men  of  all  professions;  business  men  with  their 
stock  in  trade;  groceries,  dry  goods,  restaurant  furnish- 
ings, sawmills,  saloon  fixtures,  billiard  tables,  etc.,  came 
for  a  time  without  let  or  hindrance.  It  is  estimated  that 
at  least  11,000  people  came  to  the  Black  Hills  during  the 
winter  of  1875-6  —  from  November  15,  1875,  to  March  1, 
1876  —  the  great  majority  of  whom  came  first  to  Custer. 

CUSTEK   IN    1875. 

Custer  is  beyond  question  entitled  to  the  proud  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  pioneer  town  of  the  Black  Hills.  Being 
the  objective  point  of  a  large  percentage  of  those  coming 
to  the  Hills  during  the  wiuter  of  1875-6,  it  suddenly  grew 
from  a  small  mining  camp  of  a  few  unfiuished  cabins  to  a 
town  of  very  formidable  proportions. 

During  the  first  three  months  of  the  year  1876,  1,400 
buildings  were  erected  on  the  site  where,  at  the  close  of 
1875,  there  had  stood  but  one  solitary  finished  building. 

It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  realize  that  on  the  spot  where, 
less  than  two  years  before,  civilized  feet  had  never  trod, 
but  which  meanwhile  had  become  historic  ground,  a  town  of 
such  magnitude  should  exist.  Fact,  however,  is  sometimes 
stranger  than  friction. 

During  that  period,  structures  of  both  lumber  and  logs 
sprung  up  on  every  hand  as  if  by  magic.  The  clear 
air  of  the  beautiful  park  was  resonant  from  morning 
till  night,  seven  days  in  the  week,  with  sound  of  ax,  ham- 
mer, and  saw;  the  surrounding  hillsides  swarmed  with  men, 
busy  in  felling  trees  and  cutting  them  into  logs  to  be  used 
in  the  construction  of  cabins  or  hauled  to  the  mill  to  be 
sawed  into  lumber.  Ah,  pity  'tis,  that  the  beauty  of  our 
magnificent  forests  and  groves  should  have  to  be  so  marred  ! 
This  pioneer  town  of  the  Black  Hills  was  built  of  struc- 
tures both  large  and  small  (some of  them  quite  pretentious) 
to  be  used  for  various  purposes,  all  kinds  of  business  being 
represented . 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  141 

There  were  hotels,  restaurants,  dry  goods  and  grocery 
stores;  also  meat  shops,  shoe  shops,  sawmills,  and  saloons 
galore. 

Before  the  great  stampede  to  Deadwood  Gulch  in  the 
spring  of  1876  Custer  could  boast  a  population  variously 
estimated  at  from  6,000  to  10,000  people,  in  which  numer- 
ous families  were  included. 

FRENCH  CREEK  THE  MECCA  OF  THE  PIONEERS  OF  1875. 

French  creek  was  the  "  Mecca "  towards  which  the 
hundreds  of  gold-seekers,  who  came  to  the  Black  Hills 
during  the  year  1875,  first  turned  their  eager  faces.  It  had 
already  become  historic.  It  was  on  the  borders  of  French 
creek,  that  Ross  and  McKay,  the  staunch  miners  who 
accompanied  the  Custer  Expedition,  found  their  most  en- 
couraging prospects.  On  French  creek,  also,  on  Decem- 
ber 23d,  just  as  the  winter's  sun  was  sinking  behind  the 
western  Hills  the  boys  of  1874  panned  out  the  first  shin- 
ing particles,  that  gladdened  their  eyes  and  realized  their 
hopes;  and,  too,  on  one  of  its  banks,  mid  winter's  snows 
and  storms  they  built,  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time, 
the  strongest  fortification  of  the  kind  ever  constructed  on 
the  Western  frontier,  as  well  as  the  cabins  within  its  walls, 
cabins  that  afforded  temporary  shelter  and  protection  to 
hundreds  of  the  miners  and  tenderfeet  who  subsequently 
came  to  the  Hills.  On  the  banks  of  French  creek  was 
washed  out,  with  the  aid  of  a  rudely  constructed  rocker, 
the  bright,  coarse  gold  that  was  conveyed  by  two  plucky 
men,  in  dead  of  winter,  hundreds  of  miles  over  a  bleak 
prairie,  to  Sioux  City,  to  convince  the  world  that  gold  in 
the  Black  Hills  was  not  a  myth,  but  a  glittering  reality. 
This  French  creek  gold  then,  was  the  lodestone  that  at- 
tracted so  many  to  that  locality  in  1875.  I  think  it  may 
be  safely  stated  that  nine-tenths  of  the  miners  coming  into 
the  Hills  during  that  year,  did  their  first  prospecting  on 
French  creek,  whence  they  scattered  out  to  explore  other 
localities,  principally  along  the  streams,  having  their  head- 


142  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

waters  in  the  Harney  Peak  area,  viz.  :  Spring,  Rapid,  Box 
Elder,  and  Castle  creeks,  some  going  north  into  the  Bear 
Lodge  region,  where  it  is  claimed  numerous  large-sized  nug- 
orets  were  found.  Along  the  above  named  streams  placer 
gold  was  discovered,  in  perhaps  paying  quantities,  but  the 
o-lowing  reports  that  were,  during  that  summer,  scattered 
broadcast  over  the  land  were  doubtless  greatly  exaggerated, 
or  perhaps  in  some  instances  the  product  of  an  exuberant 
fancy.  However,  the  visible  evidences  of  the  real  metal  in 
the  hands  of  many  honest  and  legitimate  miners,  were 
sufficient  to  establish  the  fact  that  the  Black  Hills  was  des- 
tined to  become  pre-eminently  a  gold-bearing  country  and 
sufficiently  encouraging  to  induce  all  classes,  reckless  of 
consequences,  to  join  in  the  race  towards  the  many  gates 
opening  into  the  Hills. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  143 


CHAPTEE    XII. 

SOME   OF   THE   PIONEERS   OF   1875,    AND    HOW  THEY   GOT   TO 
THE  BLACK   HILLS. 

Among  the  many  who  were  attracted  to  the  Black  Hills 
during  the  first  year  of  their  civilized,  or  it  would  better 
be  said,  half-civilized,  existence,  and  who  were  intimately 
identified  with  their  early  history  and  subsequent  develop- 
ment, are  the  following,  naming  them  in  the  order  of  their 
arrival  as  to  date  as  far  as  known  :  Dr.  D.  W.  Flick,  Sam'l 
Shankland,  A.  D.  Trask,  Joseph  Reynolds,  Thos.  Hooper, 
Frank  Bryant,  VVm.  Lardner,  H.  B.  Young,  Emil  Faust, 
V.  P.  Shenn,  and  John  R.  Brennan. 

Besides  those  above  named  there  are  hundreds  of  others 
who  were  more  or  less  conspicuous  figures  in  the  fleeting 
drama  of  1875,  some  of  whom  have  long  since  left  the 
Hills,  others  still  residents,  but  of  whom  the  writer  could 
gain  no  direct  or  even  indirect  information.  However,  the 
experiences  of  these  few,  whose  adventures  have  come  to 
her  knowledge,  will  illustrate  those  of  the  majority,  per- 
haps, of  the  pioneers  of  1875. 

Dr.  Flick  and  Mr.  Shankland  were  both  members  of  the 
second  expedition  to  embark  for  the  Black  Hills  in  1875, 
and  among  the  few  of  a  large  party,  who,  after  great 
hardships  and  exposures,  and  by  a  good  deal  of  strategy  to 
avoid  falling  into  the  clutches  of  the  military,  which  was 
then  the  great  bugbear,  finally  succeeded  in  reaching  their 
goal,  in  the  early  summer  of  that  year. 

Dr.  Flick  has  the  distinction  of  having  built  the  first  los: 
cabin  erected  in  the  Black  Hills  in  1875,  and  Mr.  Shank- 
land was  one  of  the  seven  men  left  to  guard  the  property 
of  the  expelled  miners  during  that  year,  and  both  have  been 
residents  of  the  Black  Hills  since  then. 


144  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

In  this  connection  it  seems  apropos  that  a  brief  account 
be  here  given  of  the  trying  experiences  of  that  second 
expedition,  which  it  is  believed  may  prove  interesting. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1875,  a  few  days  after  the  Gordon 
party  had  slipped  quietly  away  from  the  banks  of  the  Big 
Muddy,  a  large  party  of  other  gold-seeking  adventurers, 
numbering  150,  were  gathered  at  Sioux  City,  awaiting 
transportation  to  the  Black  Hills. 

They  soon  entered  into  contract  with  the  H.  N.  Witcher 
Transportation  Company  to  carry  their  goods  and  equip- 
ments to  the  Black  Hills  for  eight  cents  per  pound  avoir- 
dupois, then  with  a  few  saddle  horses  and  a  small  pack  train 
the  expedition  started  on  its  journey  westward,  under  the 
pilotage  of  Eaf  Witcher,  along  the  Niobrara  river,  south 
of  the  Nebraska  State  line,  and  thus  quite  outside  of  the 
Indian  reservation. 

When  about  300  miles  from  Sioux  City,  near  the  point 
where  Gordon's  train  had  been  captured  and  burned  a  short 
time  before,  the  expedition  was  overtaken  and  joined  by 
another  party  of  something  more  than  100  men,  under  the 
guidance  of  Capt.  Ely,  of  which  Judge  Rhinehart,  now  of 
Lead  City,  was  a  member,  making  altogether  a  formidable 
asfsregation. 

The  journey  westward  proved  an  uneventful  one  until 
reaching  Snake  river,  a  small  tributary  of  the  Niobrara, 
where  an  event  occurred  which  somewhat  dampened  the 
ardor  of  the  gold-seekers,  and  threatened  the  success  and 
even  the  very  existence  of  the  expedition  itself.  Up  to 
that  time,  although  the  party  had  been  constantly  on  the 
alert,  through  fear  of  governmental  interference,  no  serious 
apprehension  had  been  felt  of  an  attack  by  the  Indians. 
However,  at  this  point  they  were  made  unpleasantly  aware 
that  Indians  in  plenty  were  near  at  hand. 

One  day  a  half  dozen  of  the  party,  who  had  been  de- 
tailed to  serve  as  scouts  along  the  line  of  march,  came  rush- 
ing headlong  and  excited  into  line,  bringing  the  startling 
information    that  a  large    band   of    from    1,500  to    2,000 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  145 

Indians  had  been  encountered,  who  had  relieved  them  of 
their  blankets.  As  a  matter  of  fact  there  were  only  250 
of  the  savages  —  quite  enough,  however,  to  strike  terror  to 
the  heart  of  a  tenderfoot.  Naturally  almost  the  entire  party 
was  thrown  into  a  state  of  intense  excitement  and  alarm  ; 
some  wrung  their  hands  and  wept,  while  the  majority  at 
once  proceeded  to  put  the  expedition  on  a  substantial  war 
footing.  Selecting  a  favorable  position  the  wagons  of  the 
train  were  quickly  formed  into  a  kind  of  corral  for  the  pro- 
tection^of  the  stock;  the  tents  were  pitched  outside,  their 
guns  got  in  readiness,  and  thus  fortified  and  equipped  they 
awaited  in  fear  and  trembling  the  expected  enemy. 

At  this  juncture  Dr.  Flick,  who  did  not  believe  in 
the  hostility  of  the  Indians,  electrified  the  expedition  by 
announcing-  his  readiness  to  so  in  search  of  the  savage  rob- 
bers,  and  try  to  recover  the  lost  blankets,  provided  one  of 
the  men  who  had  been  relieved  of  their  property  would  go 
with  him  to  locate  the  Indians.  One  of  the  scouts  reluc- 
tantly consented  to  risk  his  life  in  an  attempt  to  regain 
possession  of  his  almost  indispensable  bedding.  So  the 
two  started  bravely  out  in  the  probable  direction  of  the 
Indians,  but  had  not  proceeded  far,  when,  upon  reaching 
the  summit  of  a  hill,  they  discovered  coming  up  on  the 
opposite  side,  a  legion  of  Indians  making  directly  towards 
them.  Waiting  until  they  had  nearly  reached  the  brow 
of  the  hill,  the  two  men  faced  about,  and  re- 
turned to  camp,  followed  closely  by  the  Indians, 
who,  when  within  a  short  distance  of  the  camp, 
halted,  presumably  to  hold  a  council  of  either  war  or 
peace.  After  a  brief  deliberation,  twelve  of  the  band, 
headed  by  their  chief.  Lame  Lance,  advanced  a  safe  dis- 
tance directly  towards  the  camp  of  the  pale-faces  (and 
'Some  of  them  were  abnormally  pale  at  the  time),  when 
they  laid  their  guns  on  the  ground,  in  token  of  their 
peaceable  intentions, and  went  through  a  sort  of  pantomime, 
very  expressive  to  those  who  understood  its  significance, 
and  which,  being  interpreted,  meant  *'  We  good  Injuns." 

10 


146  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Upon  being  beckoned  to  approach,  they  came  into  camp, 
leaving  their  guns  on  the  ground,  where  they  had  laid  them. 
The  chief,  in  the  manner  characteristic  of  his  race,  stated 
that  the  band  were  merely  on  a  hunting  expedition,  and  in 
proof  of  the  honesty  of  his  statement  presented  a  document 
signed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  permitting  them  to 
hunt  off  their  reservation.  After  the  usual  amount  of 
begging  —  they  are  born  beggars,  these  red  men  of  the 
plains  —  the  twelve  braves  returned  peaceably  to  their  own 
camp,  carrying  with  them  a  generous  supply  of  crackers, 
sugar,  tobacco,  etc.  Emboldened  by  this  success,  numerous 
others  of  the  band  came  into  the  camp  of  the  expedition 
asking  for  more,  and  when  refused,  they  became  insolent 
and  defiant,  making  themselves  exceedingly  troublesome, 
by  peering  into  the  wagons  of  the  train,  as  if  determined 
to  help  themselves  to  whatever  they  wanted. 

Finally,  however,  they  were  driven  away  and  a  strong 
guard  of  armed  men  placed  around  the  camp  and  corral. 
As  the  members  of  the  expedition,  for  the  most  part,  had 
but  small  confidence  in  the  good  faith  of  their  savage 
neighbors,  believing  the  old  saying  that  there  are  "  no  good 
Indians  but  dead  Indians,"  their  camp  in  plain  view 
seemed  a  constant  menace  to  their  security,  and  thus  no 
sleep  came  to  their  eyes  nor  slumber  to  their  eyelids  that 
night,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  vvho  were  made  of 
sterner  stuff.  Anxious  to  put  miles  of  distance  between 
the  two  camps,  bright  and  early  the  next  morning  the 
train  resumed  its  march  directl}^  westward,  but  not  towards 
the  Black  Hills.  From  this  time  the  Black  Hills  fever 
began  rapidly  to  wane.  Apparently  the  train  and  mem- 
bers of  the  expedition,  the  majority  of  whom  were  tender- 
feet,  had  no  intention  of  directing  their  course  towards  the 
Hills,  seeming  determined  to  keep  outside  of  the  Indian 
reservation.  A  few  who  were  really  anxious  to  go  to  the 
Black  Hills  insisted  that  the  train  cross  the  Nebraska  line 
into  the  reservation  and  make  directly  for  the  Hills,  and 
thus,  perhaps,  avoid  collision   with   the   military.     It  was 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  147 

becoming  plainly  evident  that  the  expedition  was  doomed 
to  go  to  pieces.  At  this  juncture  Dr.  Flick,  hoping  to 
ward  off  such  a  disaster,  mounted  a  wagon  —  I  suspect 
there  were  no  stumps  thereal)Outs  —  and  made  a  vigorous 
speech,  urging  the  duty  of  loyalty  on  the  part  of  every 
member  to  the  original  purpose  of  the  expedition,  insisting 
that  fear  of  Indian  hostilities  was  utterly  groundless,  etc., 
and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there  was  but  little  danger  from 
that  quarter,  at  that  early  date  in  1875,  as  by  the  summary 
removal  of  the  pioneers  of  1874  from  the  stockade,  a  short 
time  before,  the  government  had  shown  a  determination  to 
respect  the  treaty  rights  of  the  Indians,  and  they  were 
satisfied. 

On  reaching  the  mouth  of  Antelope  creek,  about  400 
miles  from  Sioux  City  and  eighteen  miles  south  of  the 
Nebraska  State  line,  the  climax  came.  The  roll  of  mem- 
bers being  called,  out  of  the  entire  expedition  only  four- 
teen men  signified  a  willingness  to  undertake  the  rest  of  the 
journey  to  the  Black  Hills.  Early  the  next  morning,  June 
23d,  1875,  during  the  "  wee  sma'"  hours,  a  small  party  with 
the  following  personnel :  Messrs.  Dunlap,  Shankland,  Flick, 
Berry,  Wright,  Timmish,  Burns,  Mitchell,  Bushnell,  At- 
chinson,  Webster,  Nelson,  and  Forbes,  with  eight  pack  an- 
imals, left  the  expedition  to  its  fate,  and  pulled  out  for  their 
original  destination,  —  Valentine  Dunlap  being  constituted 
as  guide.  At  12  o'clock  the  next  night,  after  traveling  over 
a  bluffy  country,  with  short  intervals  of  rest,  the  little 
party  camped  on  the  head  of  White  Earth  creek,  where 
they  partook  of  a  midnight  supper  of  cold  beans,  bread 
and  cofi"ee.  At  daylight  they  started  out  towards  the 
White  Earth  river  —  camping  at  9  o'clock  a.  m.  for  break- 
fast. They  had  hardly  commenced  their  meal,  before  two 
Indians  were  discovered  on  a  bluff  above  their  camp,  and 
supposing  them  to  be  government  scouts,  they  deemed  it 
advisable  to  pack  up  without  finishing  their  breakfast  and 
hurry  on  towards  the  Hills,  before  being  overhauled  by 
the    military.     Hungry    and  tired  as  they    were  —  having 


148  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

been  in  camp  onl}^  about  forty  minutes,  they  quickly  packed 
ttieir  belongings  and  traveled  on  with  their  jaded  animals, 
as  rapidly  as  possible  over  the  rough  untraveled  country 
towards  the  Black  Hills,  until  they  had  put  about  twenty- 
five  miles  between  them  and  the  point  where  they  had  seen 
the  supposed  government  scouts,  —  when,  having  been 
fortunate  in  finding  a  small  slough  or  depression  on  the 
prairie,  affording  sufficient  water  for  the  purpose,  they 
camped,  prepared  and  drank  a  cup  of  coffee,  then  threw 
themselves  down  on  the  broad  prairie  for  a  few  hours' 
sleep.  After  a  short  rest,  they  started  out  again,  traveling 
with  all  the  speed  of  which  their  worn-out  pack  animals 
were  capable,  reaching  Wounded  Knee  at  11  o'clock  at 
night,  where  they  went  into  camp.  Their  sole  anxiety  and 
desire  was  to  escape  discovery  and  arrest  by  the  soldiers, 
who  they  feared  were  then  warm  on  their  trail.  We  must 
not  lose  sight  of  the  fact,  that  this  adventurous  little  band 
were  traveling  on  foot,  and  leading  their  pack  mules,  which, 
of  course,  greatly  increased  the  danger  of  discovery;  —  for 
whoever  heard  of  a  mule  that  would  not,  without  the  slight- 
est compunction,  betray  even  his  very  best  friend? 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  day  after  leaving 
the  expedition  the  party  arrived  at  the  White  Earth 
river,  completely  exhausted  from  almost  constant  travel 
and  loss  of  sleep.  Crossing  that  stream  the  next 
morning  and  going  on  in  the  direction  of  the 
Hills  about  twelve  miles,  they  suddenly  found  them- 
selves confronted  on  every  hand  by  a  bewildering  maze  of 
seemingly  insurmountable  bluffs.  The  very  worst  portion 
of  the  Bad  Lands,  in  all  their  confusing  grotesqueness, 
stared  them  in  the  face.  The  guide  (Dunlap),  after  having 
climbed  to  the  summit  of  one  of  the  high  chalky  bluffs  to 
survey  the  prospect,  declared  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  scale  their  precipitous  sides  with  the  pack  mules,  and  if 
they  attempted  to  go  round  them,  they  would  become  irre- 
mediably lost  amid  the  intricate  labyrinths  of  the  cuts, 
gulches,  gorges,  etc.     *'  We  must  go  back  on  our  trail,  and 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  149 

try  to  find  a  more  practicable  route,"  said  the  guide.  The 
majority  of  the  party,  relying  upon  the  judgment  of  their 
leader,  in  whom  they  reposed  the  utmost  confidence,  as  he 
claimed  to  be  an  experienced  frontiersman  and  to  have 
spent  several  years  among  the  Indians,  seemed  willing  to 
follow  his  advice.  Dr.  Flick  alone  strenuously  opposed 
any  retrograde  movement,  preferring  to  take  the  chance  of 
being  lost  among  the  gloomy  defiles  of  the  Bad  Lands 
rather  than  invite  the  extreme  probability  of  running  head- 
long right  into  the  arms  of  a  body  of  United  States  troop- 
ers. "  I,  for  one,  shall  no  longer  follow  the  leadership  of 
a  man  who  would  guide  us  blindly  back  into  the  very 
danger  we  have  been  most  anxious  to  avoid,"  said  the  doc- 
tor. "  I  propose  going  to  the  Black  Hills  right  along  this 
line,  and  those  of  you  who  turn  back  will  have  good  reason 
to  regret  it,"  he  continued. 

After  spending  some  time  in  discussing  the  situation 
pro  and  con,  the  doctor,  who  had  resolved  to  push 
his  way  in  a  direct  line  to  the  Hills  at  all  hazards, 
began  making  preparation  for  his  lone  journej'  amid 
many  protests.  After  putting  together  his  outfit  for 
the  trip,  the  problem  of  transportation  came  up  for 
solution.  To  carry  his  blankets  and  other  equipments 
with  sufficient  provisions  for  an  indefinite  time,  seemed 
An  impossibility.  Finally,  after  a  great  deal  of  per- 
suasion, Chas.  Webster,  who  held  an  undivided  half 
interest  in  a  diminutive,  half-starved  pack  pony,  with  a 
saddle-worn  abrasion  on  his  back  as  large  as  the  crown  of  a 
man's  hat,  in  which  the  doctor  also  held  a  proprietary 
interest,  was  induced  to  risk  the  undertaking.  "There's 
no  danger  of  our  getting  lost.  When  we  come  to  a  hill  we 
can't  climb,  we'll  just  go  around  it.  We'll  get  to  the  Hills 
all  right,  and  it  won't  take  us  many  days,  either,"  urged  the 
doctor  ;  "  and,"  he  continued,  "  when  we  get  there,  I  believe 
we  shallfind  someone  from  whom  we  can  get  supplies  enough 
to  keep  us  from  starving,  at  least." 

After  packing  the  little  undivided  pony  with  such  arti- 


150  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

cles  only  as  might  be  most  needed,  thus  reducing  the  load 
to  the  least  possible  minimum  of  weight,  the  two  plucky 
men  started,  straight  as  the  swallows  fly,  for  the  Black 
Hills,  uncertain  as  to  what  their  fate  might  be.  Upon 
woins:  a  little  distance,  thev  turned  and  waved  their  hands 
(I  suspect  they  had  no  handkerchiefs)  in  token  of  fare- 
well to  their  comrades,  whom  they  expected  never  to  see 
again. 

Let  us  now  leave  the  twelve  who  are  about  to  double  on 
their  trail,  and  follow  the  two  lone  adventurers  into  the 
Hills.  After  a  hard  day's  march  over  and  around  the 
barren  precipitous  bluff,  through  the  ashes  of  that  desolate 
region,  —  which  has  aptly  been  compared  to  Hades  with 
its  fires  extinguished — they  had  the  unexpected  good  for- 
tune of  camping  that  first  night  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  Cheyenne  river.  Early  the  next  morning,  after  a 
fruo-al  breakfast  of  bread  alone,  thev  resumed  their  march 
Hills-ward,  reaching  the  mouth  of  a  clear,  sparkling 
stream,  teeming  with  fish,  at  8  p.  m.  June  27th,  where 
they  camped  for  the  night.  The  next  morning  they  pro- 
ceeded with  much  difficulty  up  the  stream,  which  the 
doctor  named  "Tanglefoot"  —  Squaw  creek,  a  branch  of 
Battle  creek  —  because  of  the  almost  impenetrable  growlh 
of  underbrush  along  its  banks.  "I  thought  it  the  most 
beautiful  stream  I  ever  laid  eyes  upon,"  related  the  doctor. 
The  sight  of  the  fish  was  certainly  one  which  might  have 
filled  the  heart  of  Isaac  Walton's  least  ardent  disciple  with 
great  gladness,  —  and  how  much  more,  then,  that  of  the 
two  half-famished  pilgrims  who  had  not  tasted  meat  for 
many  days. 

Did  you  find  no  game  on  your  journey  into  the  Hills, 
Doctor?  "  I  inquired.  "  Oh,  yes,  plenty  of  it;  elk,  deer, 
grouse,  and  other  game,  but  I  did  not  dare  to  shoot  for  fear 
of  discovery,"  replied  the  doctor.  What  a  shining  example 
of  self-denial,  to  be  sure,  for  a  crack  sportsman,  who  could 
at  that  time,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  bring  down  a  bird 
on  the  wins  at  the  first  shot. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  151 

It  was  with  extreme  difficulty  that  our  two  travelers 
pushed  their  way  up  through  the  heavy  uodergrowth, 
along  the  beautiful  "Tanglefoot,"  with  their  frail  pony, 
handicapyjed  as  he  was  with  his  load  of  blankets,  beans,  and 
camp  paraphernalia. 

"  VV^by,"  said  the  doctor,  "our  poor  little  pack-horse 
became  so  weak  that  we  actually  had  to  push  him  up  hill." 
They  were  at  last  forced  to  lighten  his  load,  by  throwing 
off  their  supply  of  beans  of  forty  pounds  avoirdupois, 
which  they  thought  could  safely  be  dispensed  with,  as  they 
had  not  indulged  in  the  luxury  of  beans  since  leaving  the 
Cheyenne  river,  the  hazard  involved  in  cooking  them  being 
considered  too  great ;  besides,  everything  was  wet  and 
sodden,  as  it  rained  continuosly  during  their  entire  trip. 

Any  gold  hunters,  prospecting  along  Tanglefoot  Gulch, 
during  the  few  succeeding  weeks,  mioht  have  found  the 
flotsam  and  jetsam  of  a  small  cargo  of  Black  Hills  "  grub," 
if  not  gold,  to  reward  them  for  their  search.  Going  north 
after  leaving  Tanglefoot,  they  soon  found  themselves  at 
or  near  the  base  of  Harney's  Peak,  and  on  the  fifth  day 
after  leaving  their  companions  in  the  Bad  Lands,  they 
climbed  the  dizzy  heights  to  the  summit  of  one  of  the 
jagged  peaks  of  that  ridge  of  the  Harney  Peak  range 
called  the  "  Needles,"  and  looked  down  and  abroad  upon 
the  glorious  panorama  of  wooded  hill,  green  valley,  and 
smiling  glade  —  a  scene  more  beautiful,  perchance,  than 
had  ever  before  dawned  upon  their  visions.  No  sign,  how- 
ever, of  human  life  and  activity  was  visible  in  all  the  wide 
expanse.  Can  we  be  the  only  human  beings  in  the  Black 
Hills?  was  the  mental  query  that  occurred  to  them.  Not 
a  very  cheering  possibility  truly  to  the  two  solitary  men 
amid  the  fastnesses  without  supplies. 

Descending  from  their  lofty  outlook  into  the  valley  below 
they  traveled  on  and  soon  dropped  into  the  valley  of  a  little 
bubbling  stream  (Willow  creek)  dancing  gaily  southward 
into  French  creek.  Cautiously  descending  the  stream, 
and  watching  closely  for  some  trace  of  human  occupancy, — 


152  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

either  soldiers,  miners,  or  Indians,  they  were  soon  rewarded 
by  discovering,  clearly  silhouetted  against  the  southern 
sky,  what  appeared  to  be  the  figure  of  a  man,  moving  along 
the  crest  of  a  distant  hill,  in  advance  of  them.  Keeping 
the  object  ever  in  view,  they  hurried  on  at  a  rapid  pace, 
until  within  hailing  distance,  when  the  doctor,  making  a 
kind  of  trumpet  of  both  hands,  called  out  through  it  in  his 
most  sonorous  and  penetrating  tones:  "  Hullo  there,  white 
man  or  Indian?" 

"Indian,"  came  back  in  the  unmistakable  but  welcome 
accents  of  a  white  man. 

In  double  quick,  the  two  tired  and  hungry  men  climbed 
the  hill  and  were  at  his  side. 

"  My  name  is  Flick,"  said  the  doctor,  at  the  same  time 
extending  his  hand,  "  and  my  companion's  name  is  Web- 
ster," he  added,  introducing  his  fellow-lraveler. 

"My  name  is  Van  Horn,  and  there  is  my  camp,"  re- 
turned the  man  pointing  to  a  group  of  tents,  and  a  number 
of  canvas-covered  wagons,  just  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 

"  Well,"  ventured  the  doctor,  "  we  are  tired  and  raven- 
ously hungry,  and  nearly  barefoot,  as  you  can  see,  and 
would  like  some  breakfast.  We  have  eaten  nothing  for 
the  past  five  days  but  bread  straight,  —  and  bread  made  of 
flour  and  water  alone,  at  that." 

They  were  at  once  conducted  to  the  camp  below,  and 
treated  with  the  miner's  proverbial  hospitality,  to  a  good 
square  rdiner's  meal,  the  first  in  many  days.  Thus,  after 
a  hard  journey  over  hills,  across  yawning  ravines,  through 
valley  and  glade,  sleeping  on  the  ground  at  night  without 
tents  to  protect  them  from  the  rain  that  had  drizzled  down 
almost  unceasingly  both  day  and  night,  and  living  on 
bread  alone,  our  two  heroic  pioneers  had  at  length  found 
a  temporary  haven  of  rest. 

After  spending  a  few  days,  enjo3nng  the  prodigal  hospi- 
tality of  Van  Horn's  camp,  meanwhile  prospecting  a  little 
on  their  own  account,  they  made  their  way  to  the  military 
headquarters  of  Col.  Dodge's  command,  then  stationed  at 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  153 

the  stockade  near  Custer.  Here  the  doctor  found  and  in- 
troduced himself  to  Capt.  G.  Russell  of  the  Third  United 
States  Cavalry,  and  a  brother  mason,  to  whom  he 
made  known  their  most  urgent  needs.  It  Avill  be  remem- 
bered that  they  had  been  forced  to  throw  overboard  their 
cargo  of  supplies,  on  the  Tanglefoot,  and,  in  consequence, 
were  almost,  if  not  entirely,  out  of  the  staple  articles  of 
diet. 

After  an  interchange  of  fraternal  grips,  Captain  Russell 
asked,  "  Now,  Doctor,  what  can  I  do  for  you?  " 

"  Well,  first  I  need  a  pair  of  boots,  as  you  can  plainly 
see,"  answered  the  doctor,  at  the  same  time,  holding  up 
for  the  captain's  inspection  what,  by  a  liberal  stretch  of 
the  imagination,  might  once  have  been  considered  a  very 
respectable  boot,  but  which,  by  virtue  of  mile  after  mile 
of  travel  on  foot,  through  bush  and  bracken,  and  over 
jagged  rocks,  had  well-nigh  lost  all  resemblance  to  the 
"thing  of  beauty"  and  of  pride,  it  once  had  been. 
"  Number  nine  will  do."  "  Next,  I  want  about  twenty- 
five  pounds  of  bacon  and  a  sack  of  flour,"  and  —  "Oh, 
yes,  I  would  like  a  can  of  baking  powder  and  a  modicum 
of  salt,"  concluded  the  doctor. 

The  articles  were  promptly  ordered  brought  from  the 
commissary  stores,  and  delivered  without  price  or  condi- 
tions. 

Some  days  after.  Doctor  Flick,  no  longer  afraid  to  shoot, 
captured  an  immense  mountain  grizzly,  whose  shaggy 
cuticle  he  presented  to  Capt.  Russell,  with  his  compli- 
ments,—  not  Bruin's  compliments  but  the  doctor's. 

We  will  now  go  back  and  ascertain  the  fate  of  Dunlap 
and  his  trusty  followers.  As  soon  as  the  two  deserters 
from  their  ranks  had  disappeared  behind  an  intervening 
bluff  in  the  Bad  Lands,  they,  with  some  misgivings  doubt- 
less, as  to  the  consequences,  commenced  their  backward 
march  towards  the  White  Earth  river,  upon  reaching 
which  they  turned  up  the  stream  in  search  of  "Sawyer's 
trail,"  which  the  guide  assured  them  was  not  far  distant. 


154  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

The  party  had  not  proceeded  more  than  a  half  mile  when  a 
bunch  of  horses  was  seen  grazing  on  the  river  bottoms  not 
more  than  a  mile  away.  Bringing  them  into  nearer  view 
by  the  aid  of  a  magnifying  glass,  they  were  discovered  to 
be  United  States  cavalry  horses.  Instantly  realizing  their 
peril,  they  quickly  led  their  horses  behind  a  convenient 
bluff,  where  a  hurried  consultation  was  held  as  to  the  best 
plan  of  escape  from  the  soldiers,  whose  mission  they  felt 
convinced  was  expressly  to  capture  them.  "  Now  we  are 
in  for  it,"  said  the  guide  in  a  low  voice.  They  really 
were  in  pretty  close  quarters,  as  the  general  topography  of 
the  country  made  it  impossible  for  them  to  fall  back  or 
advance  any  distance  from  their  position  behind  the  bluff 
without  coming  directly  into  view.  Hoping  to  discover 
some  way  out  of  their  dilemma,  the  guide  crept  stealthily 
up  to  the  edge  of  the  bluff  on  his  hands  and  feet,  when  he 
saw  the  troopers  already  mounted  and  about  to  march  out 
on  their  trail  of  the  day  before,  which  they  had  just  left  in 
search  of  "  Sawyer's  trail." 

It  seemed  certain  that  in  half  an  hour  the  soldiers  would 
trace  them  to  their  hiding-place,  in  view  of  which  certainty 
they  became  intensely  excited.  "  Some  of  us  will  prob- 
ably be  captured,  in  any  event,  and  all  of  us  if  we  remain 
together,"  said  the  guide.  "  We  had  better  separate,  take 
different  directions,  and  hide  ourselves  as  best  we  can  until 
dark,  when  possibly  some  of  us,  under  cover  of  the  night, 
may  effect  our  escape,"  he  urged.  Acting  upon  this 
advice,  without  loss  of  time  the  members  of  the  "  hemmed 
in  "  little  party,  with  their  respective  belongings,  scattered 
out,  panic-stricken,  in  ever}""  direction  —  every  man  for 
himself. 

Shankland,  Berry,  Wright,  and  Timmish  started  off  in 
the  direction  of  the  river,  which  they  hoped  to  reach  in 
time  to  hide  themselves  and  animals  among  the  timber  and 
brush  along  its  banks.  Traveling  on  with  their  utmost 
speed  through  the  friendly  protection  of  the  brush,  not 
daring  to   take  time   to   look   back,   thinking  the  soldiers 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  155 

might  be  right  upon  them,  they  fortunately  soon  found  a 
hiding-place  among  the  rocks  of  a  deep  canyon  making  out 
from  the  river,  and  admirably  fitted  by  nature  for  such  a 
purpose,  where  they  remained  until  night  safe  from  imme- 
diate capture  at  least.  Before  entering  their  "  rocky 
retreat  "  they  were  joined  by  Porter  and  Forbes,  who  had 
followed  almost  directly  upon  their  heels  in  their  precipi- 
tous flight.  When  darkness  at  last  spread  over  them  its 
protecting  wings  they  breathed  more  freely,  and  ventured 
out  from  their  confined  quarters  among  the  rocks,  in  search 
of  a  more  roomy  spot,  where  they  could  spread  their  blank- 
ets for  a  much-needed  rest  and  sleep,  and  thus  forget  for  a 
time  their  dangerous  environments.  Thinking  themselves 
quite  safe  from  discovery,  as  their  feet  had  left  no  prints 
on  the  hard  rock  leading  to  their  position  in  the  canyon, 
they  decided  to  remain  for  a  few  days  for  recuperation, 
during  which  time  they  subsisted  entirely  upon  uncooked 
food,  not  deeming  it  safe  to  build  fires. 

Becoming  tired  of  the  general  monotony  ot  life  in  the 
canyon,  on  the  second  morning,  ere  the  dawn  of  day,  they 
led  their  horses  out  of  their  retreat  and  iigain  took  up  their 
line  of  march  towards  the  Black  Hills,  haunted  by  an  ever- 
present  fear  of  arrest  by  the  military.  The  details  of  the 
march  into  the  Hills  need  not  be  narrated  at  length.  A 
brief  outline,  marked  by  a  few  of  the  principal  incidents 
of  the  journey,  being  deemed  sufficient. 

The  party  soon  came  to  an  inviting  little  grove  convenient 
to  water,  where  they  camped  and  remained  for  two  days  and 
three  nights,  taking  frequent  observations,  meanwhile,  from 
an  adjacent  hill,  looking  for  government  scouts.  Upon 
one  occasion  they  were  rewarded  by  seeing  two  mounted 
men  about  a  half-mile  distant,  which  again  threw  them  into 
a  panic  ;  fortunately,  however,  they  were  not  discovered. 
"  We  talked  in  whispers,  and  took  every  precaution  against 
discovery,  and  just  waited  for  fate  to  decide  our  destiny," 
related  my  informant. 

On  the  third  day  they  resumed  their  march,  and  after 


156 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 


traveling  about  twelve  miles  over  a  level  prairie  country, 
they  came  to  the  ever-dreaded  Mauvaises  Terres,  where  in 
one  of  the  deep  gorges  they  camped  for  the  night,  feeling, 
for  once,  secure  from  arrest —  as  they  thought  neither  man 
nor  beast  could  often  be  tempted  to  enter  such  a  desolate 
region.  The  next  day  they  made  their  way  through  a  long 
winding  canyon,  too  narrow  in  places,  to  admit  of  pas- 
sage, often  being  compelled  to  widen  the  same  by  the  use 
of  picks,  and  sometimes  being  obliged  to  unpack  and 
carry  their  freight  on  their  backs  through  the  more 
difficult  places,  and  finally,  after  ten  mortal  hours  of  toil- 
ing through  its  devious  windings  they  emerged  into  a  flat 
country  where,  finding  a  little  water  of  very  inferior  quality, 
the}^  camped  for  the  night. 

The  next  day  they  leached  and  crossed  the  Cheyenne 
river,  then  traveling  on  with  light  hearts,  but  very  tired 
feet,  keeping  all  the  time  a  sharp  lookout  for  scouts, 
they  reached  what  they  called  Trout  creek,  near  the  foot- 
hills, July  4th,  where  they  spent  the  night  without  shelter 
of  any  kind  from  the  furious  rain-storm  which  occurred  dur- 
ing the  night.  They  started  from  camp  the  next  morning, 
drenched  to  the  skin,  but  joyous  in  the  bright  anticipation 
that,  before  the  setting  of  the  sun, they  would  besafely  in  the 
Black  Hills,  and  l)eyond  all  danger  of  pursuit  from  the  rear. 
However,  in  consequence  of  a  heavy  storm,  which  pre- 
vailed throughout  the  day,  they  were  compelled  to  take 
refuge  in  a  deep  gorge  in  the  foot-hills  near  which  they 
found  their  first  gold,  panning  out  as  high  as  ten  cents  to 
the  pan.  Notwithstanding  these  encouraging  prospects, 
owing  to  a  scarcity  of  water  and  danger  of  capture,  they 
decided  not  to  drive  their  stakes  at  that  point,  but  proceed 
further  into  the  mountains. 

The  following  day,  July  6th,  after  traveling  about  fifteen 
or  twenty  miles,  they  found  themselves  among  the  moun- 
tain ranges.  Apprehending  now  but  little  danger  of  cap- 
ture, they  deemed  it  safe  to  halt  for  a  couple  of  days  and 
prospect  a  little  as  they  went.     Accordingly  on  July  7th, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  157 

Shankhmd,  Berr3',iind  Porter,  went  about  six  miles  further 
into  the  mountains,  looking  for  gold,  returning  to  catnp 
at  nicrht,  with  nothins;  but  a  mountain  groiiso  to  reward 
them  for  their  day's  labor —  their  first  game  in  the  Hills, 
which,  being  dressed,  was  impaled  on  the  end  of  u  pointed 
stick,  cooked  before  a  pitch  pine  fire,  and  eaten  without 
salt  for  supper.  The  next  day,  July  5th,  the  same  party 
mounted  their  horses  and  rode  back  to  the  gulch  where  the 
gold  had  been  discovered,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
whether  water  could  be  found  which  might  be  conducted 
by  means  of  a  ditch  to  the  point  prospected,  in  which  they 
were  wholly  unsuccessful. 

The  trip,  however,  proved  not  altogether  without  com- 
pensation, ns  they  had  the  satisfaction  of  killing  a  huge 
mountain  grizzly,  whose  choice  cuts  furnished  their  camp 
with  the  luxury  of  bear's  meat  for  a  few  days. 

On  July  9th,  after  partaking  of  a  breakfast  of  "  bear  on 
slapjack,"  they  moved  on  some  eight  or  ten  miles  and 
halted  at  the  junction  of  two  small  streams,  where  the  day 
was  spent  in  supplying  their  sadly  depleted  larders  with  the 
fish  in  which  the  stream  abounded.  Following  up  the 
southwestern  branch  of  the  stream,  some  nine  miles  over  a 
rough,  unbroken  country,  they  came  upon  the  deserted 
camp  of  their  former  guide  (Dunlap),  which  seemed  to 
have  been  vacated  not  more  than  three  hours  before.  The 
names  Valentine  Dunlap  and  Oaks  Texas  were  discovered 
written  in  pencil  on  a  birch  tree  near  the  camp. 

Following  up  Dunlap's  trail  until  all  trace  of  it  was  lost, 
then  keeping  on  in  a  southerly  direction  for  several  miles, 
they  again  came  into  the  trail  of  their  quandom  guide, 
whom  they  were  exceedingly  anxious  to  overtake,  that  they 
might  learn  something  of  the  fate  of  the  other  members  of 
the  party.  With  this  object  in  view,  they  hurried  along 
on  the  fresh  trail  of  their  guide  over  several  miles  of 
heavily  wooded  country  into  an  extensive  park,  with  a 
stream  of  water  running  through  its  center  (Custer's  Park). 
Ever  watchful  were  they  for  some  evidence  of  the  presence 


158  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

of  the  military,  who,  if  in  the  country,  thej  suspected 
might  be  encamped  not  many  miles  from  the  base 
of  Harney's  Peak.  For  the  purpose  of  reconnoitering 
the  vicinity,  Shankland  and  Porter  mounted  their 
horses  and  rode  out  to  an  elevated  point,  about 
two  miles  from  camp,  from  where  they  discovered  a 
large  number  of  horses  and  mules  and  four  men  herdino^ 
them.  "  We  could  hear  the  men  chopping  wood  in  their 
camp  and  also  hear  the  dogs  barking.  We  did  not 
know  what  party  it  was,  but  thought  it  might  be 
Jenny's  military  escort.  Our  plan  was  to  steal  quietly 
into  the  vicinity  of  the  camp,  and  wait  for  an  op- 
portunity to  interview  some  one  happening  to  be  out 
alone,"  related  my  informant,  Mr.  Shankland.  Early  the 
following  morning,  before  the  sun  had  tipped  the  lofty 
peaks,  Shankland  and  Berry  started  out  on  foot  to  locate 
the  military  camp  which  they  felt  assured  was  not  far 
away,  soon  coming  to  a  point  where  the  whole  camp  stood 
out  in  bold  relief,  before  they  were  aware  of  its  immediate 
vicinity.  Falling  back  out  of  sight,  they  counseled  to- 
gether as  to  the  best  method  of  procedure,  finally  agreeing 
to  climb  up  behind  a  large  cliff  of  rocks,  that  loomed  up 
not  more  than  two  hundred  yards  from  the  center  of  the 
camp,  from  where  much  that  was  said  could  be  distinctly 
heard  and  understood,  "  We  might  have  been  taken  for  a 
couple  of  representatives  of  the  Lo  family,  contemplating 
a  raid  upon  the  camp,"  said  Mr.  Shankland. 

We  will  now  leave  the  vigilant  men  behind  the  cliffs 
overlooking  the  camp  of  Col.  Dodge's  command  on 
French  creek,  and  go  back  along  the  line  to  the  mouth  of 
Antelope  creek,  where,  nearly  three  weeks  since,  we  left 

THE     MAJOR     PART     OF     THE     EXPEDITION. 

After  the  small  party  of  fourteen  men  left  the  expedition 
for  the  Black  Hills  on  the  morning  of  Juue  23d,  the  train 
at  once  pulled  out  westward  until  reaching  what  is  called 
the    "  Sidney    Cut-off,"    where    another    separation   took 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


159 


place.  From  this  point  some  of  tlie  party  turned  their 
faces  towards  the  Black  Hills,  while  the  majority  took  up 
their  line  of  march  to  Sidney,  Nebraska,  whence  they 
scattered  where  they  listed. 

Among  those  who  went  towards  the  Hills  from  the 
Sidney  Cut-off  was  Judge  Rinehart,  now  of  Lead  City. 
No  doubt  many  of  the  expeditions  embarking  for  the  Black 
Hills  in  1875  may  have  had  an  equally  trying  if  not 
altogether  similar  experience. 


160  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


CHAP  TEE    XIII. 

HOW  SOME  OF  THE  PIONEERS  FOOLED  UNCLE  SAM. 

The  following  account  of  how  Joe  Reynolds  and  his  two 
companions  bribed  the  government  employees  at  old  Fort 
Laramie  to  smuggle  them  across  the  swollen  Platte  on  the 
government  ferry  boat,  will  illustrate  some  of  the  cunningly 
devised  artifices  practiced  by  gold-seeking  adventurers  to 
elude  the  watchfulness  of  Uncle  Sam's  soldiers  at  that 
frontier  post  in  1875,  and  will  also  show  what  imperfect 
knowledge  some  of  them  had  of  the  geography  of  the  Black 
Hills. 

It  was  early  in  May,  1875,  very  soon  after  the  reuioval 
of  the  Collins  and  Russell  party  from  the  stockade  that 
Joseph  Reynolds,  Jas.  Corneille,  and  Billy  Jacobs,  of 
Georgetown,  Colorado,  moved  by  an  inspiration,  suddenly 
made  up  their  minds  to  go  to  the  Black  Hills.  It  did  not 
take  them  long  to  put  themselves  in  light  marching  order, 
for  within  forty-eight  hours  after  their  hasty  decision  they 
were  equipped  with  good  saddle  horses,  pack  animals,  guns, 
and  provisions  for  sixty  days,  and  on  their  way  to  the  New 
Eldorado.  Included  in  their  outfit  was  a  bottle  of  '*  anti- 
dote "  for  sudden  colds,  snake  bites,  and  kindred  maladies, 
which  was  to  be  used  solely  for  medicinal  purposes. 

On  reaching  Fort  Laramie,  they  found  the  Platte  river 
swollen  away  out  of  its  banks,  and  more  than  two  hundred 
other  Black  Hill  adventurers  encamped  nearby,  waiting  for 
the  river  to  get  down  to  low  water-mark,  so  that  they 
might  steal  across  undercover  of  night,  away  from  the  mili- 
tary reservation  into  the  Sioux  territory.  Finding  further 
progress  barred  for  the  time  being,  the  trio  decided  after 
studying  the  situation,  to  leave  their  stock  of  supplies  at 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.      1(31 

the  fort  in  charge  of  one  of  their  number,  while  the  other 
two  made  a  flying  trip  to  the  Hills,  with  rations  for  ten 
days,  to  examine  their  resources,  the  result  of  which  was  to 
determine  their  future  course.  But  how  to  get  across  the 
turbulent  river  was  3'et  an  unsolved  problem. 

In  the  belief  that  every  man  has  his  price,  the}'  decided 
finally  to  offer  a  bribe  to  the  wagonmaster  of  a  govern- 
ment train,  with  Avhom  they  had  fallen  in  on  their  way 
from  Cheyenne  to  Fort  Laramie,  who  was  about  to  board 
the  ferry  with  a  load  of  Indian  supplies  for  Red  Cloud 
Agency,  to  take  them  across  the  river  as  a  part  of  his  outfit. 
So  Joe,  as  spokesman  of  the  party,  approached  the  wagon- 
master,  and  after  a  short  preliminary  talk  leading  up  to 
the  delicate  proposition  he  purposed  making,  laid  bare  his 
plans.  He  told  him  he  would  give  him  ten  round  dollars 
to  slip  his  little  party  across  the  river  with  his  load  of 
Indian  freight,  and  explained  how  it  could  be  done  without 
detection. 

As  the  plan  outlined  by  Joe  seemed  both  feasible  and 
safe,  the  wagon-master,  after  a  little  apparent  hesitancy, 
said:  "All  right,  I'll  do  it;  make  your  arrangements 
and  we'll  drive  onto  the  boat." 

Following  closely  along  the  lines  dictated  by  Joe,  they 
were  soon  taken  across  the  river  without  exciting  any  sus- 
picion. While  in  transit,  Corneile,  the  custodian  of  the 
flask,  bethought  him  that,  inasmuch  as  they  would  want  to 
recross  the  ferry  in  the  near  future,  it  would  be  the  part  of 
wisdom  to  cultivate  the  friendship  of  the  ferryman.  So, 
pulling  the  flask  from  his  pocket,  and  holding  it  tempt- 
ingly towards  him,  said,  blandly,  "  Won't  you  take  some- 
thing?" "Well,  yes,  I  don't  care  if  I  do,"  responded 
the  ferryman  with  alacrity,  —  and  he  did. 

After  traveling  about  twenty  miles  with  the  train,  they 
diverged  to  the  north  —  the  trainmaster  having  told  them 
that  by  keeping  due  north  he  thought  they  would  strike 
French  creek.  So  north  they  went,  striking  the  Hills 
somewhere  on  their  western  limits    on  May    30th,    1875. 

11 


162  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OH, 

Continuing  in  the  same  direction,  they  made  a  complete 
"arc  of  a  circle"  around  the  western  and  northern  limits 
of  the  Hills,  climl)inor  to  the  summit  of  each  prominent 
point  to  take  their  bearings,  and,  if  possible,  locate  French 
creek. 

It  is  needless  to  delay  the  narrative,  by  giving  the  details 
of  their  erratic  wanderings.  Let  it  suffice  to  state  that  they 
climbed  successively,  Inyan  Kara,  Devil's  Tower,  Bear 
Lodge  Peak — where,  while  waiting  for  a  dense  fog  to  clear 
away,  they  did  some  prospecting  with  fairly  encouraging  re- 
sults—  then  through  Spearfish  valley  and  south  to  Custer's 
Peak,  and  finally,  on  the  15th  day  of  June,  they  climbed 
to  the  bald  summit  of  Harne^^'s  Peak,  where  for  the  first 
time  they  located  French  creek  which  they  reached  on  the 
same  day  in  a  sorry  condition. 

They  had  been  on  the  march  for  twenty  days,  with- 
out having  seen  a  white  man,  ten  of  which  they  had 
subsisted  solely  on  venison  straight,  without  salt.  The 
next  day,  while  prospecting  in  a  shallow  tunnel  which  had 
been  dug  by  the  stockade  hoys,  they  heard  the  sound  of 
human  voices,  which  they  feared  might  belong  to  Indians; 
but  soon  distinguishing  the  accents  of  their  own  beloved 
vernacular,  they  hastily  emerged  from  the  tunnel  to  meet 
and  greet  their  white  brothers,  one  of  whom  proved  to  be 
A.  D.  Trask,  now  of  Pactola,  Pennington  County.  No 
sooner  was  the  hearty  interchange  of  greetings  over  than 
Reynolds  asked  Trask  how  much  "  grub  "  he  had  in  his 
party.  "  Grub  !  "  answered  Trask,  "  well,  we  have  a  small 
jar  of  salt  that  I  found  cached  under  one  of  the  cabins  in 
the  stockade  which  has  been  our  main  diet  for  the  past 
twenty-four  hours."  Now,  we  all  know  that  salt  as  a  con- 
diment is  all  right,  but  very  unsatisfactory  as  a  steady 
diet.  "  Have  you  more  supplies  than  you  really  need?  " 
inquired  Trask  of  Reynolds.  "  More  than  we  really 
need  !  Why,  man  alive,  we  haven't  had  a  morsel  to  eat  for 
ten  days  but  venison,  and  venison  without  salt  at  that,"  an- 
swered Reynolds.     "  We  have  plenty  of  that  and  to  spare," 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  163 

added  Reynolds,  cheerfully  ;  "  and  as  you  have  the  salt,  we 
shall  fare  pretty  well."  By  the  way,  that  little  jar  of  salt 
is  the  only  single  article  cached  by  the  stockade  party  that 
has  come  to  the  writer's  knowledge. 

Within  the  next  two  days  quite  a  number  put  in  an  ap- 
pearance at  the  stockade,  when  a  miners'  meeting  was 
called,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  mining  district  on 
French  creek.  The  meeting,  at  which  sixteen  men  were 
present,  was  held  in  the  open,  a  short  distance  above 
where  Custer  City  now  stands.  Officers  were  chosen,  a 
district  organized,  rules  and  regulations  to  govern  the  same 
were  passed  and  a  recorder  duly  elected,  but,  as  the  min- 
utes of  the  meeting  have  been  lost,  it  is  impossible  to  give 
details  of  its  proceedings.  It  is  related,  however,  that  an 
exceedingly  warm  discussion  was  had,  relative  to  the  rule 
establishing  the  size  of  placer  claims,  the  minority  insisting 
upon  twenty  acres,  the  majority  favoring  300  feet  in  length 
along  the  gulch,  from  rim  to  rim,  which  was  the  rule  estab- 
lished. This  is  believed  to  be  the  first  mining  district  ever 
organized  in  the  Black  Hills,  and  A.  D.  Trask,  of  Pactola, 
the  first  recorder  chosen. 

The  morning  after  the  meeting,  the  two  men,  having  be- 
come convinced  that  the  Black  Hills  was  a  pretty  good 
country,  and  also  that  a  more  varied  diet  would  prove  con- 
ducive to  health,  mounted  their  horses  and  hied  them  away 
to  their  base  of  supplies  at  Fort  Laramie.  On  their  appear- 
ance at  the  ferry  landing,  the  ferryman,  recognizing  them, 
seemed  much  surprised  at  the  puzzling  situation,  which 
they  soon  made  clear  by  confessing  that  they  had  been  to 
the  Black  Hills,  and  that  their  joining  the  train  was  merely  a 
bit  of  strategy.  They  then  and  there  entered  into  a  conspir- 
acy with  the  ferryman,  by  which  he  was  to  take  them  across 
the  river  in  three  days  for  a  consideration  of  ten  dollars. 
According  to  the  plan  they  were  to  come  to  the  landing  at 
11  o'clock  p.  m.  of  the  third  day  and  scratch  on  the  can- 
vas at  the  back  of  his  tent,  when  he  was  to  slip  quietly  out 
and  shove  them  with  their  outfits  across.     The  Platte  river 


164  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

was  not  yet  fordable  and  the  200  or  more  gold-hunters  were 
still  awaiting  near  its  banks. 

As  it  ueared  the  eleventh  watch  of  the  night  of  the  third 
day,  Reynolds,  Corneile,  and  Jacobs,  led  their  horses  away 
from  camp  and  made  a  circuit  around  the  outer  limits  of 
the  post,  to  avoid  the  sentinels  who  were  placed  at  intervals 
to  guard  the  garrison  against  external  savage  attack,  or  in- 
ternal conspiracy.  Stealthily  and  noiselessly  they  were 
picking  their  way  towards  the  ferry  landing  without  the 
clatter  of  a  hoof,  —  the  horses  seeming  to  appreciate  the 
necessity  for  caution,  when  like  a  thunderbolt  from  a 
cloudless  sky,  they  were  startled  nearly  out  of  their  boots, 
by  the  [)rolonged  cry  of  "  Eleven  o'clock  and  all  is  well,''' 
but  a  few  yards  away  from  them.  They  came  to  a  dead  halt, 
paralyzed,  scarcely  daring  to  breathe.  The  darkness  fav- 
ored them,  for  the  watchman  passed  around  on  his  beat,  so 
near  that  with  an  outstretched  arm  they  could  have  almost 
touched  him,  but  he  did  not  discover  them.  As  soon  as  the 
sound  of  his  footsteps  died  away  they  hurried  to  the  land- 
ing, led  their  horses  over  the  approach,  whose  shifting  sands 
gave  back  no  sound,  onto  the  ferry. 

The  signal  was  given  but  not  a  word  was  spoken.  The 
ferryman  came  quietly  out,  unlocked  the  ferry,  shoved 
them  across  and  received  his  price. 

They  went  again  north  to  Bear  Lodge  Peak,  where  they 
prospected  for  a  short  time,  thence  to  French  creek,  where 
they  remained  prospecting  for  both  placer  and  quartz  until 
ordered  out  by  Gen.  Crook,  in  August  of  that  year.  Mr. 
Reynolds,  with  commendable  enterprise,  resolved  not  to 
leave  the  Hills,  without  taking  with  him  something  upon 
which  to  base  an  estimate  of  their  mineral  richness,  so 
during  the  five  days  grace  allowed  the  miners  in  which  to 
make  necessary  arrangements  to  leave  the  Hills,  he  had 
2,250  pounds  of  quartz  mined  from  a  ledge,  situated  about 
three  and  one-half  miles  above  Custer  City,  then  employed 
the  Case  Brothers,  who  had  a  wagon  and  team,  to  transport 
the  same  to  Cheyenne,  paying  them  therefor  two  cents  per 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    tAe    DAKOTAHS.  105 

pound,  or  $45  for  the  load.  On  reaching  Cheyenne  he 
sampled  the  ore  and  sent  it  to  Georgetown,  Colorado,  to  be 
tested.  According  to  certificates  of  assay,  the  highest 
fjrade  samples  yielded  seventeen  dollars  of  gold  per  ton  of 
quartz.  That  was  the  first  ton  of  quartz  of  any  kind, 
transported  out  of  the  Black  Hills  for  treatment. 


Robert  Florman,  who  had  prior  to  his  coming  lo  the 
Black  Hills  spent  many  years  of  his  active  life  in  a  number 
of  the  most  prominent  mining  regions  of  the  United  States, 
notably  Colorado,  Montana  and  New  Mexico,  in  which  he 
succeeded  by  shrewdness  and  unflagging  energy  in  realiz- 
ing several  handsome  fortunes,  only  to  be  lost  in  other  less 
fortunate  mining  speculations,  made  his  advent  on  French 
creek  on  July  14th,  1875.  After  a  short  stay  on  that 
stream,  he  went  north  to  S[>ring  creek,  near  the  present 
site  of  Hill  City,  where  he  prospected  quite  extensively  for 
placer  gold,  and  also  for  gold  in  quartz  during  the  summer 
of  1875,  leaving  the  Hills  late  in  the  fall  of  that  year. 
Returning  to  the  northern  Hills  with  his  family  in  the  early 
spring  of  1876,  he  was  fortunate  in  securing  by  purchase, 
a  claim  on  the  famous  "  Deadwood  Gulch,"  where  he 
remained  as  long  as  the  working  of  his  claim  proved 
profitable. 

Mr.  Florman  afterwards  became  engaged  in  several  other 
mining  enterprises  throughout  the  Hills,  becoming  in  1885 
or  1886  a  resident  of  Rapid  City,  to  which  he  has  unre- 
servedly pinned  his  faith  to  the  present  time.  He  erected 
a  number  of  the  finest,  most  substantial,  as  well  as  the 
most  expensive  business  blocks  in  Rapid  City,  and  in  doing 
this  he  staked  his  all  upon  the  ''  hazard  of  a  die,"  and  lost. 
Mr.  Florman  by  his  thorough  and  extended  knowledge  of 
mines  and  mining  and  sagacity  will  doubtless  yet  wrest  a 
fortune  from  the  wonderful  mineral  resources  of  our  coun- 
try. What  Mr.  Florman  does  not  know  about  ores  of 
various  kinds  is  hardly  worth  knowing. 


166  THrf  BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

As  apropos  to  the  above,  I  will  here  rehite  a  brief  story, 
in  which  is  interwoven  a  sad  episode,  of  the  journey  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Florman  with  their  three  little  children  from 
Cheyenne  to  the  Black  Hills  in  the  spring  of  1876,  which 
forcibly  illustrates  the  pluck,  the  nerve,  the  real  heroism 
of  one  of  the  women  pioneers  of  the  Black  Hills.  As  all 
early  pioneers  traveling  over  that  route  have  good  reason 
to  remember,  every  step  of  the  journey  after  leaving  the 
protection  of  Fort  Laramie  was  then  menaced  by  the  most 
deadly  peril,  yet  in  the  face  of  this,  almost  alone  most  of 
the  way,  every  breeze  wafting  back  to  them  reports  of  the 
terrible  Indian  atrocities  being  perpetrated  farther  on 
towards  the  Hills,  they  with  their  helpless  little  children 
pushed  resolutely  onward  to  their  destination. 

Women  of  less  courage  and  determination  could  scarcely 
have  borne  the  intense  mental  and  physical  strain  of  such  a 
journey  under  like  circumstances. 

Mr.  Florman  and  family,  with  six  men,  arrived  at  the 
stage  station,  on  the  Cheyenne  river,  on  or  about  April 
24th,  1876,  where  they  found  encamped  a  party  of  about 
forty  emigrants,  including  a  number  of  women,  in  the  most 
intense  excitement  and  alarm.  Here  they  also  found  ample 
evidence  that  the  red  demons  had  been  putting  in  their 
murderous  work.  The  four  horses  belonging  to  the 
Cheyenne  and  Custer  Stage  Company  had  just  arrived  at 
the  station,  brinsing  in  the  four  men  of  Col.  Brown's 
party,  who  had  been  attacked  and  dangerously  wounded,  — 
one  fatally,  —  only  a  few  miles  up  Red  Canyon. 

On  that  same  evening,  the  report  of  the  massacre  of  the 
Metz  party  was  brought  into  the  station,  which,  of  course, 
greatly  increased  the  alarm  of  the  already  panic-stricken 
emigrants.  Many,  — especially  those  with  families,  urged 
that  the  party  return  at  once  to  Fort  Laramie,  nearly  200 
miles  aw^ay.  Mr.  Florman,  however,  opposed  such  a 
movement,  insisting  that  the  danger  of  returning  to  the 
post  would    be  greater  than  that  of  the  short  march  on  to 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  167 

Custer,  and  proposed  organizing  a  party  for  tlieir  mutual 
safety,  that  would  be  bound  to  stand  by  each  other  tlirough 
evil  as  well  as  good  report,  until  reaching  Custer  City. 
An  organization,  consisting  of  thirty-nine  men,  was  soon 
ertected,  the  members  of  which  were  Jules  Coffee  of  Lara- 
mie, with  fifteen  cowboys  who  had  just  arrived  at  the 
station;  the  incoming  stage  with  its  ten  male  passengers  ; 
one  Henry  Feuerstein,  with  six  men,  and  Mr.  Florman's 
party  of  eleven,  which  included  Mrs.  Florman  and  their 
three  children.  This  party  started  at  7  o'clock  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  with  their  armor  buckled  on  for  Cus- 
ter,—  keeping  their  guns  well  in  hand  and  their  eyes  on 
the  alert  for  an  ambushed  foe.  All  along  the  trail  through 
the  Red  Canyon,  at  intervals,  they  discovered  shocking  evi- 
dences of  bloody  deeds.  They  first  came  to  the  point 
where  Brown's  party  had  been  attacked,  the  scene  indicat- 
ing that  there  had  been  a  fierce  conflict. 

The  stage  was  found  lying  in  a  ravine,  riddled  with  bul- 
lets, and  besmeared  with  the  blood  of  the  victims;  their 
belongings,  torn  and  hacked  to  pieces,  lay  scattered  along 
and  about  the  trail.  Traveling  about  two  miles  further  up 
the  Canyon,  they  came  upon  the  body  of  Mrs.  Metz,  —  shot 
through  the  heart  —  who  seemed  to  have  been  the  last  one  of 
the  party  killed,  as  she  had,  apparently,  run  away  from 
the  scene  of  the  first  attack.  Half  a  mile  further  on  was 
found  the  body  of  the  driver,  and  about  a  half  mile  still 
further  on  lay  Mr.  Metz,  close  to  the  wagon  —  shot  through 
the  head,  and  several  times  through  the  body.  The  col- 
ored woman  was  not  found  by  the  Florman  party. 

What  was  to  be  done?  The  bodies  could  not  longer  be 
left  there  as  food  for  the  vultures  and  coyotes. 

Here  Mrs.  Florman  exhibited  the  nerve,  the  spirit  of 
self-sacrifice,  that  stamps  her  as  a  true  heroine.  Despite 
the  probability  that  the  deadly  savages  might  be  hiding  in 
ambush,  not  far  away;  despite  the  fact  that  the  poor, 
mutilated  bodies    had   lain    for    many  hours  uncared    for, 


168  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Mrs.  Floiman,  with  the  courage  of  the  Spartan  women  of 
old,  [)roceedecl  at  once  to  aid  in  preparing  the  dead  —  as 
far  as  the  limitations  would  })ermit,  for  decent  Christian 
burial.  With  gentle,  tender  hands,  she  helped  to  straighten 
out  and  compose  the  distorted  members  of  the  murdered 
woman  ;  arrayed  the  body  in  the  best  garments  that  could 
be  found  among  the  scattered  contents  of  the  rifled  trunks  ; 
then,  after  washing  the  face  and  brushins^  back  the  dishev- 
eled  hair  with  caressing  touch,  her  noble,  self-imposed  task 
was  finished. 

Brave  woman !  May  thy  crown  be  set  with  precious 
jewels,  whose  brilliancy  time  can  never  mar  ! 

The  remains  were  then  placed  in  a  wagon,  that  had  been 
brought  for  the  purpose,  and  sent  back,  under  escort,  to 
the  Cheyenne  stage  station  for  temporary  burial. 

This  grewsome  duty  being  performed,  the  stage  passen- 
gers, apparently  forgetting  their  compact,  mounted  the 
stage  and  started  off  at  a  ra»)id  pace  towards  Custer,  but 
were  speedily  brought  to  a  dead  halt  by  the  loud  peremp- 
tory cry  of,  "Halt!  or  you  are  dead  men."  Looking 
back  they  saw  Mr.  Florman,  with  gun  in  hand,  [)ointed 
directly  at  them,  and  believing  fiom  the  dangerous  gleam 
in  his  e^-e  that  he  meant  business,  they  prudently  halted. 
One  of  the  passengers  said  afterwards:  "  I  tell  you,  boys, 
Mr.  Florman  looked  as  though  he  really  meant  to  shoot." 
They  excused  their  course  by  saying  that  they  considered 
the  real  danger  of  the  journey  past.  Mr.  Florman,  how- 
ever, thought  otherwise,  —  as  any  one  familiar  with  the 
habits  of  the  Indians  would  have  thought.  He  knew  that 
the  party  were  liable,  at  any  moment,  to  be  pounced  upon, 
from  behind  some  projecting  headland  or  point  of  rocks, 
by  the  skulking  savtiges.  On  that  same  evening  they 
arrived  at  Pleasant  Valley,  where  they  found  a  large  freight 
outfit,  which  give  them  a  feeling  of  comparative  security 
for  the  night.  The  next  morning  they  pulled  out  for  Cus- 
ter, where  they  arrived  at  noon,  safely  within  the  lines  of 
the  city  guards  —  "  the  Custer  minute  men." 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  169 

John  W.  Allen,  another  representative  miner,  came  to  the 
Black  Hills  in  the  early  part  of  July,  1875.  After  prospect- 
inor  at  different  points  on  French  and  Spring  creeks  —  work- 
ing for  a  time,  it  is  stated,  with  good  results  on  what  is 
known  as  '*  Stand  Off  Bar,"  on  the  last  named  stream,  he 
joined  the  Jenny  Exploring  Expedition,  with  which  he 
remained  during  its  stay  in  the  Hills,  greatly  aiding  it,  by 
bis  extensive  mining  knowledge,  in  ascertaining  their 
mineral  resources.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  first  township  organization  of  Custer ; 
also  in  the  early  spring  of  1876  aided  in  the  town- 
ship organization  of  Rapid  City,  in  which  he  had  the 
most  unbounded  faith.  So  great  was  his  confidence  in  the 
future  of  the  "  Gate  City,"  the  "Denver  "  of  the  Black 
Hills,  that  he  induced  his  less  sanguine  brother,  Jas.  W. 
Allen,  to  leave  a  lucrative  business  in  Cheyenne  and  come 
and  get  possession  of  as  many  town  lots  in  the  future 
Denver  as  was  possible.  Jas.  W.  Allen,  however,  took  but 
little  stock  in  the  prospective  Denver,  declaring,  much  to  the 
disgust  of  his  far-sighted  brother,  that  he  would  not  accept 
as  a  gift  the  whole  town-site  proposition. 

John  W.  Allen  later  went  to  Deadwood,  where  in  com- 
pany with  other  parties,  he  engaged  in  extensive  placer  min- 
ing. He,  jointly  with  Col.  Daniel  Thompson,  became  the 
owner  of  42,000  feet  of  the  deepest  gravel  beds  on  that 
gulch,  to  operate  which  they  constructed  several  hundred 
feet  of  bed-rock  flume  with  all  the  necessary  protective 
appliances  against  floods.  Nothwithstanding  those  expen- 
sive appliances,  however,  the  terribly  destructive  flood  of 
1883  either  washed  away  or  buried  under  heaps  of  debris 
their  almost  entire  work.  LUer  Mr.  Alien  went  to  the 
Alaskan  gold  fields,  and  somewhere  among  the  icy  glaciers 
he  to-day  lies  buried. 


A  familiar  figure  to  the  early  settlers  of  the  Hills,  espe- 
cially of  Custer,   was  Tom   Hooper.     He  was  one  of  the 


170 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


seven  men  who  were  permitted  to  remain  in  the  Black  Hills 
when  the  hundreds  of  miners  were  ordered  out  by  Gen. 
Crook  in  August,  1875.  Aided  by  a  detachment  of  United 
States  soldiers,  Mr.  Hooper  made  the  first  survey  of  the 
Custer  town-site,  in  August  of  that  year,  using  a  small 
pocket  compass  and  a  couple  of  picket  ropes  for  the  pur- 
pose, making  the  plat  of  the  site  on  a  twelve-inch  square 
piece  of  birch  bark  stripped  from  a  tree  on  French  creek, 
which  plat  has  unfortunately  been  lost.  In  March,  1876, 
when  the  town  was  organized  into  a  city,  the  people  of  the 
Black  Hills,  in  convention  assembled,  established  a 
Black  Hills  Superior  Court,  of  which  Tom  Hooper  was 
elected  judge  —  a  court  whose  jurisdiction  was  to  be  co-ex- 
tensive with  the  entire  Black  Hills.  In  short  Tom  Hooper 
was  closely  identified  with  all  the  early  movements,  look- 
ing to  the  welfare  and  advancement  of  the  pioneer  town  of 
the  Bhick  Hills,  in  which  he  was  the  first  to  practice  the 
profession  of  law.  He  is  now  a  prominent  attorney  at  law 
in  Sundance,  Wj'oming. 


LAST    HUKTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  171 


CHAPTER    XIY. 

FIRST  DISCOVERY  OF  PLACER  GOLD  IN  THE  NORTHERN  HILLS. 

It  appears  from  trustworthy  information,  that  the  first 
exploration  of  that  portion  of  the  northern  Hills,  border- 
ing on  Whitewood  creek,  was  made  by  Frank  Bryant  and 
party  in  August,  1875.  It  is  quite  generally  known  that 
the  government  expedition,  under  Professor  Jenny,  al- 
though penetrating  and  prospecting  the  country  as  far  to 
the  northward  as  Bear  Butte  creek  and  other  portions  of 
the  Hills  to  the  northwest,  made  no  explorations  along 
Deadwood  and  Whitewood  creeks,  and  the  rich  placer 
deposits,  later  found  in  the  gulches  of  those  streams,  were 
to  that  expedition  an  entirely  unknown  quantity. 

It  seems  beyond  reasonable  doubt,  therefore,  that  Bryant 
and  his  little  party  of  gold  hunters,  uncovered  with  pick 
and  shovel,  and  washed  out  the  first  gold  taken  from  White- 
wood  and  lower  Deadwood  gulches. 

Perhaps  there  are  not  many  of  our  early  pioneers  who 
have  had  a  more  checkered  experience,  in  all  that  goes  to 
make  up  a  miner's  life  with  its  vicissitudes,  than  Frank 
Bryant,  and  an  account  of  some  of  his  early  adventures 
may  prove  of  interest  to  those  who  care  for  pioneer 
history. 

Frank  Bryant,  with  a  party  of  six  others,  viz.  :  John 
Pearson,  Thos.  Moon,  Richard  Lowe,  James  Peierman, 
Samuel  Blodgett,  and  George  Hauser,  seven  in  all,  arrived  in 
the  Hills,  from  some  Missouri  river  point,  in  August,  1875, 
making  their  first  camp  at  Spring  Valley.  On  their  way 
to  the  northern  Hills,  —  their  objective  point,  the  party 
did  its  first  prospecting  on  a  small  tributary  of  Elk  creek, 
with  unpromising  results. 

Frank  Bryant   was  the    possessor  of  a  small  map,  fur- 


172  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

nished  him  before  startiog  by  Tom  Liibarge,  Charley  D& 
Gray  and  Lephiere  Narcouter,  old  employees  of  the  Amer- 
ican Fur  Company,  which  served  the  party  as  a  guide  to 
their  objective  point. 

The  second  place  prospected  by  the  Bryant  party  was  at 
the  mouth  of  Spruce  gidch,  on  what  was  called  on  their 
map  the  Chaw-Skaw-Skaw-Walkapalla  (afterwards  named 
Whitewood  creek),  a  beautiful  stream  of  clear  water,  run- 
ning then  about  200  miners'  inches,  where  was  found  good 
prospect  on  the  surface  gravel.  Fortunately,  having  a 
saw  in  their  outfit,  they  whipped  out  enough  luml)er  to 
construct  eight  boxes,  twelve  feet  long  each,  and  com- 
menced sluicing,  but  not  being  wholly  satisfied  with  the 
results  of  the  experiment,  they  soon  began  to  look  around 
for  richer  "diggings."  This  party  built  at  the  mouth  of 
Spruce  gulch,  the  first  cabin  in  the  northern  Hills. 

One  of  the  part}',  Sam  Blodgett,  who  had,  while  hunt- 
ing, come  upon  a  gulch,  which  to  him  looked  favorable, 
after  reporting  the  same  to  the  other  members  of  the  party, 
returned  to  the  gulch  with  John  Pearson,  to  see  what  could 
be  found,  and  the  first  dirt  panned  by  them  was  taken  from 
the  point  of  the  bar,  on  which  now  stands  the  Deadwood 
High  School  building.  Other  bars,  for  a  distance  of  300 
or  400  yards  up  the  creek,  were  also  prospected,  but  as 
nothing  encouraging  was  found,  no  locations  were  made. 
The  places  last  prospected  were  on  what  was  later  called 
"  Deadwood  Gulch."  This,  as  far  as  known,  was  the  first 
prospecting  done  on  Deadwood  gulch. 

About  the  middle  of  September  the  party  left  their  works^ 
on  the  Whitewood,  on  a  fruitless  search  for  richer  diofo-infjs. 
Turning  their  faces  towards  Terry  Peak,  they  prospected 
on  the  way,  Nevada  and  White  Tail  gulches  (then  un- 
named), without  finding  pay  gravel;  then  crossing  to  the 
opposite  side  of  the  peak,  they  prospected  the  Spearfish 
and  its  tributaries  with  similar  results:  the}'  then  pro- 
ceeded down  the  Spearfish  valley  to  the  vicinity  of  Spear- 
fish Buttes  where  they  went  into  camp.     On  climbing  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    1JAKOTAH6.  173 

Bulte  500  or  600  feet  one  of  the  purly  discovered,  about 
three  miles  farther  down  the  valley,  a  large  cluster  of  tents 
which  proved  to  be  Col.  Dodge's  camp.  Not  wishing  to  be 
oaptured  by  the  soldiers,  of  which  there  was  not  the  slight- 
est danger  from  that  source,  as  Col.  Dodge's  command  was 
not  looking  for  miners,  they  secreted  their  camp  until 
night  when  they  pulled  out  under  the  cover  of  darkness 
for  Sand  creek,  where  they  arrived  on  the  morning  of  the 
next  day.  Here  they  hunted  and  jerked  venison  for  a 
couple  of  days,  when  the  little  party  divided  up  and  went 
their  respective  \va3's. 

Moon  and  Lowe  followed  Col.  Dodge  around  to  Bear 
Butte,  whence  they  made  their  way  back  to  the  Missouri  river 
for  home, thoroughly  disgusted  withthe  BlackHills.  Blodgett 
and  Hauser  joined  the  soldiers  at  Custer,  and  shortly  after 
left  for  Fort  Laramie.  Bryant  and  Pearson  went  to 
Black  Buttes,  thence  southeasterly  to  the  head  of  Spring  and 
Slate  creeks,  but  finding  no  satisfying  prospects  they  con- 
cluded to  return  to  their  abandoned  works  on  the  romantic 
Chaw-Skaw-Skaw-Walkapalla.  On  their  way  back  they 
almot^t  ran  into  the  arms  of  a  detachment  of  United  States 
troops,  only  escaping  arrest  by  hurriedly  leading  their  sure- 
footed animals  up  among  the  shelving  rocks  of  a  precipitous 
ledge.  When  the  shadows  began  to  fall  they  ventured  out 
of  their  hiding-place  and  slipped  into  the  edge  of  the  sol- 
diers' camp,  and  had  a  confidential  talk  with  a  teamster, 
named  Robinson  —  afterwards,  one  of  the  locators  of  the 
Big  Missouri  mine  at  Lead  —  who  advised  them  to  qo 
to  Fort  Laramie  and  join  Gen.  Crook's  command  about  to 
start  for  the  Big  Horn.  The  Black  Hills  having  been 
stripped  of  their  charms,  the  two  weary  gold-hunters 
accepted  Robinson's  advice,  and  bright  and  early  the  next 
morning  were  on  their  way  out  to  join  Gen.  Crook  for  the 
Big  Horn.  It  is  needless  to  state  that  Pearson  was  as  glad 
as  though  he  had  found  a  gold  nugget  to  get  away  from 
the  Black  Hills,  and  it  is  surmised  that  Bryant  shed  no 
copious  tears  at  leaving. 


174  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Oil  their  way  out  they  had  an  exciting  and  somewhat  amus- 
ing adventure  which  came  near  getting  them  into  serious 
trouble,  and  illustrates  "  how  great  a  matter  a  little  fire 
kindleth.'"  On  the  second  day  of  their  journey  outward, 
they  came  upon  a  water-hole,  about  ten  feet  in  diameter 
and  two  feet  deep,  the  rim  of  which  was  cut  up  with  the 
tracks  of  wild  animals,  as  if  large  herds  of  sheep  and 
cattle  had  watered  there,  and  at  the  time  of  their  arrival 
there  were  thousands  of  wild  bees  on  the  spot,  some 
drinking  on  the  edge  of  the  pool,  others  whirling  and  buz- 
zing around  overhead.  It  is  reasonable  to  presume  that 
there  were  some  lively  jigs  danced  around  that  water-hole 
among  the  angry  bees  for  a  while.  Well,  anyone  who 
has  ever  been  in  a  hornets'  nest  can  appreciate  the 
situation. 

At  a  critical  juncture,  Pearson  conceived  the  unhappy 
thought  of  setting  fire  to  the  grass,  as  a  means  of  putting 
an  end  to  the  vicious  onslaught  of  the  bees.  He  started 
the  fire,  and  as  the  wind  was  blowing  a  small  gale  at  the 
time,  and  the  grass  was  as  dry  as  powder,  it  burned  like  a 
flash  and  spread  over  the  prairie  with  the  speed  of  a  race 
horse,  and  the  two  men  had  to  fight  like  Trojans  to  save 
their  animals  and  packs  from  destruction.  Finding  it  im- 
possible to  put  out  the  fire  they  had  so  thoughtlessly  kin- 
dled, and  also  fearing  that  the  smoke,  which  could  be  seen 
for  a  long  distance,  might  attract  the  notice  of  the  Indians, 
they  hurried  away  from  the  scene  of  conflagration  as 
rapidly  as  their  limitation  would  permit. 

On  the  fourth  day  outward  they  camped  at  the  old 
Government  Farm,  where  they  met  Frank  Norton,  Ed. 
Davis,  and  Frank  Smith  on  their  way  to  the  Black  Hills, 
with  whom  they  exchanged  jerked  venison  for  the  staff  of 
life  (bread), —  a  glad  exchange,  as  they  had  been  subsisting 
for  several  weeks  on  "jerk"  straight.  On  the  Platte 
river  they  met  Ed.  Murphy,  who  afterwards  made  a  stake 
on  «'  Deadwood  "  gulch  and  later  out  of  the  Yellow  creek 
mines.     Ed.  was  hospitably  entertained  by    the  "  boys," 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  175 

who  treated  him  to  some  venison  of  their  own  "jerking," 
which  he  pronounced  very  fine.  The  next  day  they  visited 
the  Fort,  and  found  much  to  their  disappointment  that 
Gen.  Crook  was  not  going  to  the  Big  Horn. 

To  make  a  long  story  short,  they  were  soon  on  their  way 
back  to  the  BUick  Hills,  Pearson  going  by  wngon  to  the 
southern  Hills,  and  Bryant,  with  W.  H.  Coder,  William 
Cudney  and  two  other  men  with  whom  he  had  become  ac- 
quainted at  Laramie,  going  directly  to  the  northern  Hills, 
and  on  the  8th  day  of  November,  1875,  Bryant  was  again 
camped  on  Whitewood  creek,  occupying  the  cabin  built  in 
August  of  the  same  year.  On  the  same  evening,  Novem- 
ber 8th,  1875,  a  notice  was  posted  on  a  tree,  about  fifty 
feet  east  of  the  cabin,  claiming  —  "  by  virtue  of  discovery  — 
300  feet  below  the  notice,  and  600  feet  below  Discovery 
Claim  and  300  feet  above  Discovery  Claim  for  mining  pur- 
poses. 

(Signed)  Frank  Bryant, 

Henry  Coder, 
William  Cudney." 

J.  B.  Pearson  later  went  to  the  northern  Hills  with  the 
Lardner  party,  and  was  among  the  first  locaters  on  Dead- 
wood  gulch,  where  he  continued  placer  mining  until  some 
time  in  187(3,  when,  it  is  alleged,  he  commenced  the  erec- 
tion of  the  second  stamp  mill  in  that  vicinity,  which  was 
put  in  operation  in  April,  1877,  operating  for  the  most 
part  on  ore  from  the  Black  Tail  mine,  which  he  had 
located.  He  operated  his  twenty  stamp  mill  for  about 
three  years,  when  he  disposed  of  his  property  and  pros- 
pected for  a  time  in  the  southern  Hills.  In  1883  he  became 
engineer  of  the  De  Smet  mill  at  Central  City.  Mr.  Pearson 
located  what  was  known  as  the  Giant  and  Old  Abe  mines, 
now  the  property  of  the  Homestake  Company,  on  Decem- 
ber 11th,  1875.  These  are  believed  to  be  the  earliest  quartz 
mines  located  in  the  Hills. 


176  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

THE    FIRST    LOCATORS    ON    DEADWOOD    GULCH. 

During  the  suaniier  of  1875,  William  Lardner,  who  has 
the  distinction  of  beingr  amono;  the  first  locators  and  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  first  mining  district,  established  on 
the  great  "  bonanza  gulch,"  with  a  small  party  of  gold- 
seekers  and  a  well-equipped  little  pack  train,  arrived  in  the 
Black  Hills  from  Cheyenne,  Wyoming.  Soon  after  their 
arrival  in  the  Hills  they  made  their  way  to  the  north,  in 
quest  of  the  shining  metal,  —  exploring  as  they  went  some 
of  the  streams  and  their  tributaries,  having  their  source  in 
the  Harney  Peak  region,  and  finally  in  early  October 
pitched  their  tents  on  Little  Kapid  creek,  a  short  distance 
above  its  mouth,  near  the  point  known  as  "  Ross'  Bar." 

One  day,  during  their  stay  on  that  stream,  two  men, 
short  of  i)rovision.s,  —  a  very  common  occurrence  in  those 
days,  —  arrived  at  their  camp  and  reported  that  favorable 
indications  of  placer  deposits  had  been  encountered  on  a 
stream  in  the  northern  Hills.  Those  two  men  were  J.  B. 
Pearson  and  Dan  Muskle,  the  latter  of  whom,  it  is  inferred, 
had  penetrated  the  Hills  to  Deadwood  gulch  and  discovered 
good  indications  of  the  existence  of  placer  gold,  but  becom- 
ing short  of  supplies,  was  forced  to  leave  without  making 
any  location.  How,  when,  and  where  Muskle  fell  in  with 
J.  B.  Pearson  is  not  understood,  as  the  latter  not  many 
days  before  had  parted  with  Frank  Bryant  at  Fort  Laramie. 
At  any  rate  they  came  to  the  camp  of  the  Lardner  party 
together,  and  were  supplied  with  provisions,  when  the 
whole  party  pulled  up  stakes  and  started  for  the  northern 
Hills. 

The  entire  party  was  composed  of  Wm.  Lardner,  Ed. 
McKay,  Joe  Englesby,  Jas.  Hicks,  Wm.  Gay,  Alfred  Gay, 

J.  B.  Pearson,  Dan  Muskle,  and Haggard,  —  nine  in 

all.  They  lost  no  time  in  loading  their  pack-horses  with 
blankets,  picks,  shovels,  gold  pans,  and  the  necessary  sup- 
plies, of  which  they  had  an  abundance,  caching  the  balance, 
for  which  they    afterwards  returned,  when  the  party  went 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAH8.  177 

northward  across  the  north  fork  of  Little  Rapid  ;  the  head- 
waters of  Whitewood,  White  Tail,  and  Little  Spearfish 
creeks,  through  snow  knee-deep,  then  over  the  rough 
mountains,  through  the  Bald  Mountain  region  to  the  new 
diggings  on  Deadwood  gulch,  where,  a  little  below  the 
mouth  of  Blacktail,  "  Discovery  "  claim  was  located  in 
November,  1875.  This  was  doubtless  the  first  location 
made  on  the  great  bonanza  gulch. 

All  of  the  original  locations  made  by  this  party  were,  it 
appears,  made  above  "  Discovery  "  — No.  9  falling  to  the 
lot  of  Wm.  Lardner  and  No.  4  above  to  Wm.  Gay.  As  if 
by  the  irony  of  fate  none  of  the  fabulously  rich  claims, 
located  a  few  weeks  later  below  "Discovery"  were  secured 
by  those  first  locators  on  Deadwood  gulch.  Seemingly 
with  pernicious  intent,  those  industrious  little  animals,  the 
beavers,  had  constructed  a  dam  across  the  stream,  on  what 
proved  to  be  one  of  the  richest  claims  on  the  gulch,  thus 
backing  up  the  waters  of  the  creek,  forming  a  veritable 
little  lagoon  across  the  narrow  valley  from  hill  to  hill. 

Owing  to  this  circumstance,  and  the  further  fact  that  the 
gulch  below  was  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  under- 
brush,  and  strewn  with  a  bewildering  confusion  of  dead 
timbers,  lying  across  each  other  at  every  known  or  conceiv- 
able angle,  the  outlook  for  prospecting  was  not  considered 
inviting. 

At  a  miners'  meeting  held  in  December,  a  mining  district 
was  organized,  and  appropriately  named  the  "Lost  Min- 
ing District" — the  first  organization  of  the  kind  in  the 
northern  Hills.  Wm.  Lardner  was  chosen  recorder  of  the 
district,  and  by  the  rules  established  to  govern  the  same, 
was  vested  with  the  right  to  charge  a  fee  of  $1,50  per  claim 
for  recording  locations. 

Of  that  little  group  of  pioneers,  who  so  eagerly  and 
hopefully  pushed  their  way  through  the  deep  snow  to 
Deadwood  gulch  twenty-three  years  ago,  Wm.  Lardner 
alone  remains  in  the  Black  Hills.  All  the  other  members 
of  the  party,  excepting  McKay,  are  reported  dead.     The 

12 


178  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

tragic  fate  of  one  of  the  number,  Wm.  Gay,  is  doubtless 
well  known  to  most  of  those  who  knew  him  in  the  early 
days.  Wm,  Gay  was  sentenced  and  hung  in  1896  for 
shooting  and  killing  an  officer  of  the  law  in  Montana. 

Poor  fellow,  he  did  not  meet  his  fate  with  the  fearless- 
ness and  daring  characteristic  of  him.  When  brought  face 
to  face  with  his  awful  doom,  he  who  had  braved  the  innum- 
erable dangers  of  years  of  frontier  life,  and  had,  perchance, 
many  a  time  in  his  checkered  career  looked  into  the  muz- 
zle of  a  gun  aimed  at  his  heart  without  flinching,  cowered 
and  cringed  at  the  foot  of  the  gallows  in  the  most  pitiable 
and  abject  terror. 

About  three  weeks  later,  or  towards  the  last  of  Decem- 
ber, 1875,  Mr.  Lardner  returned  with  pack  horses  to  Little 
Rapid  creek  for  the  cached  property,  and  reported  the  new 
rich  discovery  to  a  small  party  of  prospectors  on  Castle 
creek,  who  the  following  day  packed  their  tools  and  other 
belongino-s,  and  followed  on  his  trail  to  Deadwood  gulch. 

This  second  party,  composed  of  J.  J.  Williams,  W.  H. 
Babcock,  Eugene  Smith,  and  Jackson,  arrived  on  Deadwood 
gulch  about  the  1st  of  January,  1876,  all  of  whom  located 
claims  below  "  Discovery."  It  is  asserted  that  Jackson 
located  No.  1  below  and  afterward  sold  his  claim  to  Hilde- 
brand  and  Harding,  experienced  miners  from  Montana. 
J.  J.  Williams  located  No.  22  below  Discovery,  from  which 
in  a  period  of  three  months  he  washed  out  $27,000  in  gold 
dust.  He  afterward  sold  his  claim  on  Deadwood,  and 
located  No.  14  above  Discovery  on  Whitewood  creek  from 
which  he  realized  $35,000  of  the  precious  metal,  the  reward 
of  his  indomitable  perseverance.  Mr.  Williams  helped  lay 
out  and  found  the  city  of  Deadwood,  of  which  for  more 
than  two  decades  he  has  been  a  resident,  and  where  he  is 
now  engaged  in  the  honorable  avocation  of  a  worker  in 
wood. 

The  next  to  find  their  way  to  Deadwood  gulch,  were 
Wade  Porter  and  Oscar  Cline,  about  the  middle  of  January, 
1876.     Porter  had  altogether  a  remarkable  experience,  as 


W.M.    LARDXER, 

■One  of  the  party  making  first  locations  on  the  famous  "  Deadwoocl 
Gulch"  in  November,  1875. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  179 

will  be  shown  by  the  following  brief  recapitulation  of  his 
early  career  in  the  Black  Hills.  It  will,  perhaps,  be  re- 
membered that  he  was  one  of  the  lirst  party  to  reach 
French  creek  in  1875,  and  one  of  those  of  the  party  who 
escaped  capture  by  the  military  squad  dispatched  to  sum- 
marily remove  them  from  the  Hills.  Hearing  of  the 
exodus  of  the  miners  in  August,  he  soon  after  voluntarily 
left  the  Hills  for  Fort  Laramie,  where  after  a  few  days 
stay  he  joined  a  party  of  about  thirty  men  fitted  out  with  a 
large  pack  train,  led  by  one  Mallory,  and  started  for  Iron 
creek  in  the  northern  Hills,  where  Mallory  reported  havino- 
found  rich  diggings.  Owing  to  a  scarcity  of  water  for 
sluicing  purposes  in  that  region,  Porter  with  several  others 
left  Iron  creek  and  went  to  Castle  creek  where  he  had 
formerly  prospected.  He  had  not  been  there  long  before 
the  whole  party  was  rounded  up  by  a  squad  of  Capt.  Pol- 
lock's troopers,  taken  to  Custer  and  placed  in  the  "  cruard 
pen,"  where  they  were  kept  for  several  days,  when  they  were 
taken  to  Cheyenne,  tried  before  a  United  States  commis- 
sioner, and  released.  Soon  after  their  release  a  number  of 
the  party,  including  Porter,  equipped  themselves  and  ao^ain 
started  for  the  northwestern  Hills,  by  a  circuitous  route  to 
avoid  the  soldiers.  After  prospecting  a  few  weeks  on 
Sand  and  Bear  creeks.  Porter  and  Cline  decided  to  return 
to  the  gold  diggings  on  Castle  creek,  and  it  was  on  this 
trip  that  they  struck  the  trail  of  the  Lardner  party,  on  the 
Little  Spearfish,  which  led  them  to  Deadwood  gulch,  where 
they  located  claims  in  January,  1876. 


One  of  the  first  of  the  Black  Hills  pioneers  to  catch  the 
gold  infection  that  began  to  spread  over  the  land  in  the 
spring  of  1876  was  V.  P.  Shouu,  whose  imposing  presence 
and  distinctive  personality  is,  doubtless,  well-remembered 
by  the  early  settlers  of  the  Hills.  Mr.  Shoun  was  one  of 
the  176  members  of  Gordon's  unfortunate  expedition, 
whose  goods  and  chattels  were  seized  and  burned  by  mill- 


180  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

tary  authority,  while  en  route  to  the  Black  Hills  in  the 
spring  of  1875.  Soon  after  the  release  of  the  captured 
party,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Big  Muddy,  opposite  Yank- 
ton, Mr.  Sboun  re-equipped  and  was  again  making  his 
solitary  way  across  the  black  prairies  —  ever  on  the  alert 
for  the  "  blue  coats,"  —  for  the  Black  Hills.  At  Spotted 
Tail  Agency,  where  he  tarried  for  a  while  to  recuperate,  he 
•organized  a  small  party  of  seven  men,  equipped  with  as 
many  Sharp's  rifles,  2,000  rounds  of  ammunition,  twelve 
pack  ponies,  and  four  saddle  horses,  and  thus  reinforced, 
resumed  his  journey  to  the  Hills  about  October  1st,  1875. 

To  guard  against  surprise  by  the  soldiers,  who  were  then 
vigilantly  watching  the  approaches  to  the  Hills,  two  of  the 
party  were  kept  on  duty  both  day  and  night  as  scouts. 
When  near  Buffalo  Gap,  two  troops  of  soldiers  were  seen 
by  the  scouts,  who  soon  communicated  the  alarming  intel- 
ligence to  the  other  members  who,  by  hiding  behind  'a 
protecting  hill,  escaped  discovery.  Mr.  Shoun  had  pretty 
ofood  reason  for  wanting  to  give  the  United  States  soldiers 
a  wide  berth,  for  had  he  not  seen  them  only  a  few  months 
before  apply  the  match  that  caused  all  his  belongings,  as 
well  as  those  of  his  fellow-travelers,  including  clothing, 
supplies  and  much  of  their  bedding,  go  up  in  smoke? 

On  reaching  Custer,  the  party  was  taken  in  charge  by 
D.  T.  Snively,  and  by  him  conducted  to  the  protecting 
shelter  of  the  stockade,  then  occupied  by  Sam  Shankland 
and  Robert  Kenyon,  who  had  been  permitted  to  remain  in 
the  Hills  by  Gen.  Crook,  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the 
miners,  a  man  named  Murphy  and  two  other  men.  In 
order  to  avoid  a  collision  with  Major  Pollock's  soldiers, 
Mr.  Shoun  secured  the  services  and  connivance  of  Bob 
Kenyon,  who  had  become  familiar  with  the  topography  of 
the  Hills,  to  pilot  them  around  the  dreaded  "  blue  coats," 
and  put  them  on  the  trail  for  the  north.  By  the  courtesy 
of  Bob,  they  were  soon  on  their  way  towards  Harney's 
Peak,  where  they  hoped  to  find  a  safe  asylum  among  the 
fastnesses,  for  a  time  at  least. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  181 

On  the  25th  of  October,  the  party  selected  a  camping 
ground  amid  the  dark,  deep  defiles  of  the  Harney  Peak 
range,  where  they  unloaded  their  pack  ponies,  and  stored 
their  supplies  among  the  slelving  granite  rocks,  then  led  the 
ponies,  relieved  of  their  burdens,  to  an  open  park  about 
ten  miles  distant,  to  graze.  The  spot  selected  for  a  camp- 
ing ground  must  have  been  an  ideal  hiding-place,  judging 
from  Mr.  Shoun's  own  standpoint,  of  which  he  says,  using 
his  exact  diction  :  "  We  camped  in  such  a  place  at  the  foot 
of  Harney's  Peak,  that  the  devil  himself  could  not  have 
found  us."  Later  Mr.  Shoun  went  north  to  Dead  wood 
gulch,  and  was  one  of  the  early  claim  owners  and  workers 
on  that  historic  gulch. 

Owino;  to  the  strict  military  espionage  maintained  along 
the  lines  to  the  Hills,  in  the  spring  of  1875,  it  had  been 
found  a  losing  venture  to  attempt  the  transportation  of 
jn'ovisions  in  any  considerable  quantities,  hence  those  com- 
ing to  the  Hills  later  were  outfitted  for  the  most  part  with 
pack  animals  carrying  supplies  for  only  a  limited  period, 
some  for  sixty,  some  for  thirty  days,  and  strangely  enough 
a  few,  trusting  to  kind  Providence  for  the  future,  with  a 
little  more  than  enough  to  last  them  to  the  gold  fields, 
consequently  having  no  base  of  supplies,  miners  and  pros- 
pectors were  frequently  reduced  to  uncomfortable  straits 
for  something  to  eat. 

THE    FIRST    TO    BRING    MERCHANDISE    TO    THE    BLACK    HILLS. 

Amonor  the  first  to  brino;  merchandise  to  the  Black  Hills 
to  supply  this  demand  of  the  miners  and  prospectors,  was 
H.  B.  Young,  then  of  the  firm  of  Cuthbertson  &  Young,, 
of  Cheyenne,  Wyoming.  In  early  November,  1875,  Mr. 
Young  arrived  in  the  Hills  from  Cheyenne,  in  charge  of 
several  loads  of  goods  for  the  firm  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber, making  Hill  City,  then  a  mining  camp  of  considerable 
importance,  his  base  of  commercial  operations  during  the 
winter  of  1875-6.  Early  in  May,  1876,  taking  the  current 
at  its  flood,  he  transferred  his  headquarters  from  Hill  City 


182  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

to  Deatlwood,  where  he  carried  on  an  extensive  jobbing 
trade  with  the  retail  dealers  of  Dead  wood  and  other  mining 
camps  for  the  firm  of  Cuthbertson  &  Young,  which  was 
amonof  the  first  to  engage  in  wholesale  commercial  trans- 
actions  in  the  Black  Hills. 

Later  Mr.  Young  turned  his  attention  to  mining  opera- 
tions, his  first  venture  being  the  purchase  of  100  feet  of 
the  Homestake  mine  from  Alex.  Engh  and  Henry  Har- 
ney, who  together  owned  a  one-half  interest  in  the  mine, 
the  purchase  price  being  three  hundred  dollars. 

In  the  fall  of  1877,  Mr.  Young  sold  his  fractional  inter- 
est in  the  mine  to  a  representative  of  the  Homestake  Com- 
pany for  the  handsome  sum  of  $10,000,  or  at  the  rate  of 
$150,000  for  the  whole  mine.  During  the  time  between 
the  purchase  and  sale,  Mr.  Young  had  made  extensive  de- 
velopments on  his  fraction,  taking  out  large  quantities  of 
ore  for  treatment,  thereby  greatly  enhancing  the  selling 
value  of  his  property. 

Late  in  the  fall  of  1877,  the  firm  of  Cuthbertson  & 
Young  secured  from  the  Homestake  Company  the  con- 
tract for  the  transportation  of  the  Homestake  eighty  stamp 
mill;  the  hoisting  machinery  and  other  appurtenances  of 
the  plant,  from  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  to  the  Homestake 
mine,  at  the  rate  of  six  cents  per  pound,  realizing  therefrom 
the  sum  of  $33,000,  which  may  appear  to  those  not  con- 
sidering the  time,  distance,  and  difficulties  involved,  a  large 
sum.  The  transportation  of  275  tons  of  unwieldy  machinery 
250  miles  in  the  depth  of  winter,  over  a  comparatively  un- 
traveled  country,  handicapped  with  the  frequent  necessity 
of  repairing  roads,  building  bridges,  etc.,  was  no  small 
undertaking. 

A  part  of  the  Homestake  machinery  was  carried  to  the 
Hills  by  an  ox  freight  train,  owned  by  A.  J.  Parshall  of 
Cheyenne,  via  Ked  Cloud  and  Crook  City.  When  the  out- 
fit reached  the  vicinit}^  of  the  latter  point  on  the  route,  it 
was  caught  and  locked  for  many  days  in  the  fatal  embrace 
of  the  memorable  snowfall  of  March,  1878,  when    every 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  183 

bovine  —  save   nine,  of  the   100   head   of  cattle,   perished 
from  exposure  and  starvation. 

Who  of  the  early  residents  of  the  Hills  will  not  remem- 
ber the  sreat  snowstorm  beo:inninoi;  March  Gth,  1878?  I 
said  snowstorm,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there  was  no 
storm  about  it.  There  was  no  wind,  no,  not  even  a  gentle 
zephyr  to  fan  the  feathery  flakes  into  uneven  billows  as 
they  fell.  Thick  and  fast,  however,  they  dropped  flutter- 
ing down,  straight  from  the  clouds  to  earth,  until  its  whole 
face  was  covered  with  a  foot,  —  two  feet,  —  three  feet, — 
four  feet,  on  a  deed  level,  of  the  "  beautiful."  The  un- 
precedented snowfall  tinally  came  to  an  end,  —  as  all  things 
will,  but  not  before  grave  fears  were  entertained  that  the 
Black  Hills  was  doomed  to  be  irrecoverably  snowed  under. 
It  has  been  said  that  every  misfortune  has  its  compensat- 
ing features.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  deep  snow  of  1878 
proved  a  veritable  Klondike  to  the  idle  men  and  boys  about 
Dead  wood,  as  its  business  men  were  freely  paying  one 
dollar  per  hour  to  men  for  shoveling  the  snow  from  the 
roofs  of  their  buildings,  that  were  giving  way  under  the 
immense  pressure. 

Conspicuous  among  the  pioneers  of  1875  was  John  R. 
Brennan,  who,  by  unyielding  perseverance  and  indomitable 
pluck  during  his  years  of  residence  in  the  Black  Hills,  has 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  topmost  rung  of  the  ladder  of 
success.  He  was  prominent  among  the  few  brave  men, 
who,  in  the  face  of  great  danger,  located  and  founded 
Rapid  City,  and  whose  experiences  during  those  perilous 
times  were  more  thrilling,  perhaps,  than  ordinarily  fall  to 
the  lot  of  pioneers.  Mr.  Brennan  may  be  accounted  one 
of  the  representative  citizens  of  the  Black  Hills,  by  virtue 
of  which  numerous  positions  of  honor  and  trust  were  from 
time  to  time  conferred  upon  him  during  his  long  and  con- 
tinuous residence  therein. 

In  March,  1876,  Mr.  Brennan  was  n^ade  a  member 
of  the  first  Board  of  Trustees  of  Rapid  City.     He  opened 


184  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

and  kept  the  first  hostehy  in  Rapid  City  in  a  twelve  by 
fourteen  feet  log  cabin,  situated  on  Rapid  street  between 
Fifth  and  Sixth  streets.  In  1878  he  built  and  opened  the 
American  House,  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Main  streets, 
which  was  consumed  by  fire  in  1888.  He  was  made  presi- 
dent of  the  Hotel  Harney  Company,  the  building  being 
constructed  under  his  direction,  and  opened  by  him  in  1886, 
the  ownership  passing  from  the  company  to  Mr.  Brennan 
in  1888. 

In  1877  Mr.  Brennan  was  appointed  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  for  Pennington  County  by  Gov.  Pen- 
nington, was  also  appointed  first  Postmaster  of  Rapid  City 
during  the  same  year;  was  at  one  and  the  same  time  Ex- 
})ress.  Stage,  and  Union  Pacific  Agent,  for  a  period  of  ten 
years.  In  1888  he  was  appointed  President  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  the  School  of  Mines  of  Rapid  City,  by  Gover- 
nor Church,  holding  the  oflSce  for  four  years.  In  1892  he 
was  appointed  State  Railroad  Commissioner  by  Governor 
Sheldon,  for  two  years,  and  was  elected  to  the  same  position, 
in  1894,  for  two  years. 

It  is  thus  a  pleasure  to  record  that  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  of  the  Black  Hills  has  occupied  important  niches  in 
their  history.  The  subjoined  account  of  the  journey  of  the 
party  of  which  Mr.  Brennen  was  a  member,  and  some  of 
their  experiences  after  reaching  the  Hills,  may  prove  of 
interest  to  residents  thereof. 

John  R.  Brennan,  in  company  with  Geo.  W.  Stokes, 
N.  H.  Hawley,  and  George  Ashton,  left  Denver,  Colorado, 
for  the  Black  Hills,  about  the  middle  of  October,  1875, 
with  teams  and  wagons  loaded  with  all  the  requisite  equip- 
ments for  such  a  journey,  including  provisions  adequate 
for  six  months.  On  reaching  Cheyenne,  an  inventory  of 
the  cash  on  hand  was  taken,  when  it  was  found  that  the 
combined  wealth  of  the  party  was  just  twenty  dollars. 
However,  with  this  meager  cash  capital,  but  with  a  large 
surplus  of  determination  and  pluck,  they  pulled  out  from 
Cheyenne    for  the  Hills.      On  the  seventh  day  out  from 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  185 

Denver,  they  reached  the  Phitte  river,  near  Fort  Laramie, 
where  they  went  into  cam[)  for  seven  days  —  this  delay 
being  made  to  avoid  meeting  with  a  squad  of  soldiers  who 
were  reported  on  their  way  out  from  the  Hills  to  the  Fort 
with  a  number  of  prospectors  under  arrest  for  trespassing 
on  the  Indian  Reserve,  and  for  the  still  further  purpose  of 
receiving;  recruits. 

While  in  camp  on  the  Platte,  they  were  joined  by  a  party 
of  forty-five  men,  also  bound  for  the  Black  Hills,  among 
whom  were  California  Joe  (the  noted  scout),  Dido  King, 
afterwards  commissioner  of  Lawrence  County,  and  popu- 
larly known  as  "  Honest  Dick,"  Geo.  Palmer,  John  Argue, 
Robert  Ralston  (who  was  captain  of  the  party),  and  James 
Hepburn  and  wife  —  the  only  woman  in  the  party. 

This  Mrs.  Hepburn,  who  died  a  few  years  ago  in  Cen- 
tral, near  Deadwood,  was  probably  the  first  woman  to  enter 
the  Hills  in  1875,  —  barring  Calamity  Jane,  who  it  is 
asserted,  came  in  with  Professor  Jenny's  military  escort  at 
an  earlier  date. 

As  soon  as  the  military  escort  arrived  with  their  prison- 
ers at  Fort  Laramie,  the  party  immediately  broke  camp 
and  departed  precipitately  for  the  Hills  via  the  Govern- 
ment Farm,  Raw  Hide  Buttes,  and  Cottonwood,  crossing 
the  Cheyenne  river  at  the  point  where  Edgmont  now 
stands  ;  then  up  Red  Canyon  through  Pleasant  Valley  to 
Custer  Park,  arriving  there  on  November  12lh,  1875.  Here 
the  party  found  and  took  possession  of  three  log  barracks 
built  by  the  soldiers,  occupying  them  for  one  night  only. 
The  next  day  they  went  down  French  creek  to  the  stock- 
ade, two  and  a  half  miles  below,  where  they  remained 
and  prospected  five  or  six  days,  when,  dividing  into  small 
parties,  they  scattered  out  to  different  points  in  the  middle 
and  southern  Hills. 

Brennan,  Stokes,  Palmer,  Hawley,  Byron,  and  Argue, 
located  on  what  is  known  as  Palmer's  gulch,  built  three 
substantial  log  cabins  and  established  themselves  in  their 
winter-quarters. 


186  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

On  December  20th,  1875,  a  miners'  meeting  was  held  at 
the  cabin  of  Brennan,  Stokes,  and  Pahner,  which  was  as 
far  as  known  the  first  regular  miners'  meeting  ever  held  in 
the  Black  Hills,  the  minutes  of  whose  proceedings  have 
been  preserved. 

Below  are  the  full  proceedings:  — 

Meeting  called  to  order  by  J.  R.  Brennan.  Present: 
Geo.  W.  Stokes,  Geo.  Palmer,  N.  H.  Hawley,  G.  Byron, 
Dick  King,  John  Argue,  T.  C.  Brady,  Gus.  Williams,  and 
California  Joe. 

After  objects  of  meeting  were  stated;  on  motion,  T. 
C.  Brady  was  elected  chairman,  and  Geo.  W.  Stokes, 
secretary. 

The  following  business  was  then  transacted:  — 

Moved  and  seconded  that  the  gulch  be  named  '*  Palmer 
Gulch,"  and  that  a  mining  district  be  formed  to  be  known 
as  Palmer  Gulch  Mining  District.     Motion  carried. 

Moved  and  seconded  that  a  committee  of  two  be  ap- 
pointed to  draft  laws  to  regulate  the  district.     Adopted. 

Geo.  Stokes  and  T.  C.  Brady  were  chosen  to  draft  laws 
to  govern  the  district. 

On  motion  the  Montana  Company  located  on  Stand-off 
Bar  on  Spring  creek  were  invited  to  attend  the  meeting 
on  the  25th  inst.  to  assist  in  making  laws  to  govern  the 
district. 

Nominations  for  recorder  for  the  district  were  called  for. 

John  R.  Brennan,  being  the  only  name  presented,  was 
chosen  recorder  of  the  Palmer  Gulch  Mining  District. 

Reading  report  of  committee  on  laws,  price  for  recording 
claims  was  fixed  at  one  dollar  per  claim  ;  size  of  claim  was 
fixed  (temporarily),  200  feet  up  and  down  the  gulch,  and 
from  rim  to  rim. 

California  Joe  was  then  called  upon  to  tell  the  meeting 
what  he  knew,  in  a  general  way,  about  the  Hills,  he  having 
spent  the  summer  with  Professor  Jenny  in  their  explorations. 

Joe  was  very  enthusiastic  on  the  subject,  saying  that,  in 
his  opinion,  the  Black  Hills  was  the  richest  country  in  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GUOUNO    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS.  187 

United  States,  that  he  had  prospected  as  far  north  as  Elk 
creek,  and  south  to  French  creek,  and  had  found  splendid 
))rospects  in  every  place  between  those  two  points.  He 
called  the  attention  of  the  meeting  to  the  fact,  that  he  had 
located  and  staked  the  first  quartz  claim  in  the  Black  Hills, 
said  claim  being  situated  one  mile  below  his  cabin  on  the 
gulch. 

On  motion,  meeting  adjourned  to  meet  again  on  Decem- 
ber 25th,  to  hear  the  report  of  the  committee  on  laws. 

Geo.  W.  Stokes, 

Secretary . 

This  party  prospected  and  worked  nearly  the  entire 
winter  on  Palmer  gulch  and  Spring  creek,  running  a  drain 
ditch  1,800  feet  and  sinking  forty  or  fifty  prospect  holes, 
without  realizing  enough  to  pay  for  sharpening  and 
repairing  tools. 

In  the  latter  part  of  February,  1876,  John  R.  Brennan 
in  company  with  W.  P.  Martin,  A.  Brown,  Mart.  Pensinger* 
Wm.  Marsten,  Thos.  Ferguson,  and  Dick  King,  left  the 
party,  went  to  Rapid  valley  and  then  located  Rapid  City  on 
February  25th,  1876. 

THE    FIRST    GOLD    DUST    TO    BE    TAKEN    OUT  OF  BLACK  HILLS. 

Emil  Faust,  also  a  pioneer  of  1875,  left  Cheyenne, 
Wyoming,  in  October,  1875  ;  with  two  four-horse  teams, 
and  wagons  loaded  with  provisions  for  the  Black  Hills. 
By  considerable  stratagem,  and  making  some  tedious 
detours,  to  avoid  meeting  the  soldiers  under  Capt.  Pollock, 
who  were  leaving  the  Hills  for  Fort  Laramie  about  that 
time,  he  succeeded  in  reaching  Custer  on  the  24th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1875,  where  he  remained  during  the  winter.  Pro- 
visions becoming  very  scarce  in  the  Hills,  Mr.  Faust  in 
company  with  D.  G.  Tallent,  who  was  returning  from  his 
second  trip  to  the  Black  Hills,  left  Custer  for  Cheyenne, 
in  the  early  part  of  March,  1876,  taking  with  him  $1,000 
in  gold  dust  for  the  purchase  of  supplies.     This  gold  dust 


188 


THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


was  mined  from  the  placer  deposits  of  French,  Spring,  and 
Castle  creeks,  and  was  the  first  gold  of  any  considerable 
quantity  carried  out  of  the  Black  Hills. 

Their  journey  was  by  no  means  over  a  bed  of  roses, 
as  will  be  seen.  On  reaching  the  vicinity  of  Hat  creek, 
they  were  overtaken  by  a  terrific  snowstorm  —  a  veritable 
Dakota  blizzard,  and  having  no  forage  for  their  horses, 
and  not  much  provisions  for  themselves,  both  came  very 
near  perishing  with  cold  and  hunger.  As  the  snow  was  too 
deep  for  the  horses  to  reach  the  grass,  they  were  forced  to 
dole  out  to  them  their  scanty  supplies  to  keep  the  poor 
beasts  from  starvation.  Even  the  contents  of  their  "grub- 
box," —  including  a  lot  of  nice  ham  sandwiches  —  had  to 
be  fed  to  them,  while  they  themselves  went  "awfully'' 
hungry.  However,  half-starved  as  they  were,  when  the 
storm  abated  somewhat,  they  pushed  their  way  through  the 
snow  and  slush,  towards  Fort  Laramie.  At  the  "  Govern- 
ment"  farm  they  providentially  met  Judge  Kuykendall 
with  a  small  party  on  his  way  to  the  Hills  with  merchan- 
dise for  the  Deadwood  market,  of  whom  they  procured  in 
exchange  for  Black  Hills  gold  dust  enough  supplies  to  last 
until  reaching  Cheyenne. 

This  is  but  an  instance  of  the  terrible  hardships  and 
privations  endured  by  many  of  the  early  pioneers  while 
traveling  over  the  dreary  wastes  to  the  Black  Hills. 

After  investing  the  $1,000  of  gold  in  provisions  for  the 
miners  Mr.  Faust  returned  to  the  Hills,  where  he  has  ever 
since  remained,  and  is  now  one  of  the  prosperous,  business 
men  of  the  great  mining  metropolis  of  the  Hills,  Lead 
City. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


189 


CHAPTER    XY. 

EARLY   FREIGHT   AND   PASSENGER   TRANSPORTATION  TO  THE 
BLACK   HILLS. 

When  the  tide  of  emigration  began  to  flow  towards  the 
Black  Hills,  in  the  early  spring  of  1875,  the  necessity  for 
means  of  transportation  for  passengers  and  freight  over 
the  plains  became  apparent,  and  a  few  shrewd  men  of  cap- 
ital, seeing  in  this  necessity  an  opportunity  for  profitable 
investment,  lost  no  time  in  organizing  companies  and 
establishing  lines  from  different  points  to  the  Black  Hills 
for  that  purpose.  Nor  was  their  judgment  and  penetration 
at  fault,  for,  during  the  years  prior  to  the  advent  of  the 
first  railroad,  the  immense  freight  and  passenger  traffic 
between  outfitting  points  and  the  Hills,  not  only  yielded 
large  results  to  the  operators,  but  was  an  important  factor 
in ''the  business  economy  of  the  Black  Hills;  and  from 
those  standpoints  may  be  regarded  as  the  most  prosperous 
years  in  their  entire  history. 

The  pioneer  organization  for  the  transportation  of  freight, 
was  called  the  Sioux  City  &  Black  Hills  Transportation 
Company,  — the  company  being  Fred.  T.  Evans,  Judge 
Hubbard,  John  H.  Clark,  John  Hornick,  —  Sioux  City 
capitalists—  of  which  Fred  T.  Evans  was  president.  The 
first  train  of  the  line  left  Sioux  City  on  April  26th,  1875, 
with  the  goods  and  equipments  of  Gordon's  ill-fated 
expeditionrwhich  was  almost  totally  destroyed  by  the  mili- 
tary —  wagons,  goods  and  all,  — at  the  point  on  the  Nio- 
brara route  near  where  Gordon,  Nebraska,  now  stands,  as 
before  related. 

During  the  years  1876-7,  this  company  shipped  their 
merchandise  from  Sioux  City  up  the  Missouri  river  by 
steamer,    first    to   Yankton,    afterwards   to     Pierre,    then 


190  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

from  those  respective  points  by  wagon  to  the  Hills.  In 
1878,  their  shipping  point  was  changed  from  Sioux  City 
to  Chamberlain  to  connect  with  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee 
and  St.  Paul  R.  R.,  whence  their  goods  were  shipped  by 
steamer  to  Pierre,  and  from  there  by  wagon  to  all  points 
in  the  Black  Hills  until  1888.  This  Evans'  Transportation 
Company  employed  varying  from  1,000  to  1,500  men  and 
wagons,  from  2,000  to  3,000  oxen,  and  from  1,000  to 
1,500  mules,  and  the  freight  traffic  of  the  line  was  some- 
thing immense.  Although  the  men  employed  on  the  line 
had  frequent  encounters  with  the  Indians,  the  only  loss 
sustained  by  the  company  during  the  period  of  its  existence 
was  200  oxen  stolen,  and  one  man  killed  by  the  Indians  at 
Crook  City,  in  March,  1876,  and  two  men  killed  and  ten 
mules  stolen  in  1877  on  the  Cheyenne  river. 

Following  closely  upon  the  heels  of  the  organization  of 
the  Sioux  City  and  Black  Hills  Transportation  Company 
came  that  of  the  Witcher  Company,  which  carried  on  a 
very  extensive  freight  business  with  the  Hills  during  the 
first  four  or  five  years  of  its  history.  This  company 
commenced  operations  along  that  line  in  the  spring  of  1875, 
the  first  train  of  the  line  starting  on  its  initial  trip  a  few 
days  after  the  departure  of  the  Gordon  party  with  the 
Evans'  transportation  train. 

It  may  be  remembered  that  this  unfortunate  expedition, 
destitute  of  the  quality  of  cohesion,  broke  up  into  frag- 
ments, while  en  route  on  the  old  Niobrara  trail  to  the 
Hills.  Subsequently  the  Witcher  Company  shipped  their 
freight  from  Sioux  City  by  boat  to  Yankton  and  Pierre 
successively,  thence  overland  by  wagon  to  different  points 
in  the  Black  Hills. 

Several  other  freight  lines,  doing  a  more  or  less  exten- 
sive business  with  the  Hills,  were  established  prior  to  the 
opening  of  the  country  to  settlement  in  1877,  notabl}'  Dick 
Dunn  &  Newbanks'  transportation  lines,  running  from 
Pierre,  and  J.  M.  Woods,  Bramble  and  Miner,  Jewett  & 
Dickinson  from  Sidney. 


FRED.    T.    EVANS, 

Who  started  the  first  passenger  and  freight  transportation  train 
from  Sioux  City  to  the  Black  Hills  in  April,  1875. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  191 

The  first  regular  express  and  passenger  line  to  the  Black 
Hills,  called  the  Cheyenne  and  Black  Hills  Stage  Line, 
running  first  from  Cheyenne,  afterwards  from  Sidney  to 
Deadwood,  was  established  during  the  year  187G.  The 
company,  Messrs.  Gihiian,  Salisbury  and  Patrick,  com- 
menced operations  along  the  line  laid  out,  and  made  an 
earnest  and  determined  effort  to  push  the  work  to  a  speedy 
completion,  and  put  the  line  in  full  operation  in  the  early 
spring  of  that  year,  but  owing  to  the  persistent  hostility  of 
the  Indians  and  their  consequent  depredations,  it  was  found 
utterly  impracticable.  Their  relay  stations  were  burned, 
their  stock  run  off,  and  their  general  agent  killed  by  the 
Indians.  Thus  handicapped,  they  were  compelled  to  par- 
tially suspend  operations  temporarily.  However,  despite 
the  difficulties  in  the  way,  work  was  soon  resumed,  and 
some  time  in  July  a  splendid  four-horse  coach,  loaded  with 
passengers,  succeeded  in  safely  reaching  Custer.  On  its 
return  trip,  however,  when  a  few  miles  out  from  Custer, 
the  coach  was  attacked  by  a  band  of  Indians,  who  after  a 
chase  of  several  miles,  killed  the  driver,  cut  the  horses 
from  the  coach  and  drove  them  away,  harness  and  all, 
leaving  the  passengers  stranded  on  the  trail,  who  were  in 
consequence  compelled  to  walk  back  twelve  miles  to  Custer 
for  a  new  start.  The  difiiculties  of  establishino^  a  line  of 
coaches  300  miles  over  an  intensely  hostile  country  are 
not  easily  surmounted,  yet  by  an  unyielding  perseverance, 
the  obstacles  were  at  last  overcome,  and  on  September 
25th,  1876,  the  first  through  coach  of  the  line  reached 
Deadwood. 

In  addition  to  its  passenger  traflSc,  this  line  carried  large 
consignments  of  fast  freight  and  express  matter,  amount- 
ing, it  is  estimated  by  some,  to  about  40,000,000  pounds 
annually.  All  Western  and  Southern,  and  a  considerable 
portion  of  Eastern  mail  for  the  Hills  was  carried  over  this 
line.  All  of  the  Homestake  bullion  up  to  1881,  and  nearly 
all  of  the  early  gold  product  of  the  Black  Hills,  was 
transported  by  the  Cheyenne  and  Black  Hills  Stage  Com- 


192  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

pany  during  the  perilous  years,  when  "  road  agents,"  under 
the  guise  of  honest  men,  surreptitiously  watched  the  ship- 
ments, and  "  hold-ups  "  were  a  common  occurrence,  and 
when  the  golden  treasure  had  to  be  guarded  by  intrepid 
nervy  men  armed  with  shot-guns. 

The  old  historic  Deadwood  Treasure  Coach  that  has  since 
been  "  held  up"  and  robbed,  in  regular  Black  Hills  style, 
in  numerous  of  the  large  cities  of  the  United  States  and  in 
many  parts  of  the  old  world,  to  the  intense  delight,  amid 
the  wild  plaudits  of  tens  of  thousands,  among  whom  were 
some  crowned  heads,  was  planned  and  built  by  Superin- 
tendent Voorhees,  of  the  Cheyenne  and  Black  Hills  Stage 
Company,  for  the  safer  transportation  of  Black  Hills  gold. 

The  Northwestern  Express,  Stage,  and  Transportation 
Company,  organized  under  the  laws  of  Minnesota,  with  R. 
Blakely  as  president,  and  C.  W.  Carpenter  as  secretary  and 
treasurer,  commenced  running  a  daily  line  of  stages  in 
connection  with  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  from  Bis- 
marck to  Deadwood  on  May  1st,  1877.  In  October,  1880, 
the  line  was  transferred  to  Pierre,  to  connect  with  the  Chi- 
cago and  Northwestern  Railway,  and  in  1886  was  transferred 
from  Pierre  to  Chadron,  Nebraska,  to  connect  with  the  Fre- 
mont, Elkhorn  and  Missouri  Valley  Railroad  on  its  com- 
pletion to  that  point.  In  1880,  the  company  established  a 
line  of  splendid  Concord  four-horse  coaches,  between 
Pierre  and  Deadwood,  which  it  is  estimated  carried  an 
average  of  5,000  passengers  yearly  for  a  period  of  five 
years,  during  which  time  the  line  carried  all  the  Northern 
and  a  large  percentage  of  the  Eastern  mail  for  the  Black 
Hills.  The  Homestake  bullion  was  transported  by  this 
company,  from  Deadwood  to  Pierre,  during  the  years  1881 
and  1882.  The  heavy  weight  transportation  alone  on  this 
line  amounted  to  11,000,000  pounds  annually,  employing 
250  men,  600  horses  and  mules,  and  2,000  oxen. 

On  the  completion  of  the  F.  E.  &  M.  V.  R.  R.  to  the 
Hills,  all  that  kind  of  passenger  and  freight  traffic  with 
the    Black   Hills  soon  ceased  and    the  lines  discontinued. 


H.    X.    WITCHEK, 

Who  established  the  second  passenger  and   freight  transportation  line 
from  Sioux  City  to  the  Black  Hills  in  April,  1875. 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.      193 

Stage  coaches,  ox  and  mule  trains  are  now  relegated  to  the 
dead  past.  The  rumbling  of  the  dashing  tally-ho;  the  long 
strings  of  tired  cattle,  toiling  slowly  along  with  the  trains 
of  heavily  freighted  wagons;  the  ear-piercing  crack  of  the 
long  lashes  of  the  picturesque  bull-whackers,  and  the  pro- 
longed braying  of  the  mules,  are  no  more  seen  nor  heard  on 
the  business  thoroughfares  of  our  cities. 

EARLY  POSTAL    FACILITIES    IN  THE    BLACK  HILLS. 

Prior  to  the  opening  of  the  country  for  settlement  in 
February,  1877,  and  the  subsequent  establishment  of  regu- 
lar United  States  mail  service  for  the  Black  Hills,  the  peo- 
ple, having  been  thrown  upon  their  own  resources  for 
means  of  communication  with  the  outer  world,  were  com- 
pelled to  avail  themselves  of  chance  opportunities  for  send- 
ing out  letters  —  business  or  otherwise, —  and  had  also  to 
depend  upon  the  same  uncertain  means  for  return  messages. 
The  large  accumulation  of  mail  for  the  Black  Hills,  at  the 
various  outfitting  points,  was  usually  intrusted  to  the  care  of 
trains  leaving  these  points  for  the  Hills,  and  as  these  trains 
were  frequently  held  in  siege  by  the  hostile  Indians  for 
many  days  at  a  time,  the  mail  did  not  always  arrive  when 
expected.  However,  after  weeks  of  anxious  waiting  on 
the  part  of  the  long  suffering  people,  it  would,  in  most 
cases,  reach  its  destination.  On  its  arrival  in  Deadwood, 
the  principal  distributing  point  of  the  Hills,  it  would  be 
taken  in  charge  by  a  self-constituted  postmaster,  and  labo- 
riously arranged  in  alphabetical  piles,  ready  for  delivery  — 
the  modus  operandi  being  as  follows  :  The  addresses  were 
read  aloud;  each  person  upon  the  call  of  his  name  would 
elbow  his  way  through  the  immense  crowd  of  eager  letter- 
seekers,  to  the  delivery  window,  where,  by  the  payment  of 
fifty  cents  in  "  coin  of  the  realm  "  or  its  equivalent  in  gold 
dust,  he  would  receive  his  long  looked  for  letter  or  letters. 
Fifty  cents  may  seem  a  large  price  to  pay  for  a  single 
letter,  but  when  it  is  considered  that  several  clerks  had  to 
be  employed  in  arranging  and  handing  out  the  mail,  and 

13 


194  THE    BLACK    HILLS;      OR, 

several  others  in  weighing  up  the  gold  dust  received  in 
payment  therefor,  besides  the  percentage  to  the  carriers,  it 
was  not,  perhaps,  unreasonable. 

In  the  summer  of  1876,  about  the  last  of  July  or  per- 
haps the  first  of  August,  followed  the  Seymour  and  Utter 
Pony  Express  Mail  Service  with  its  corps  of  daring  intrepid 
riders,  conspicuous  among  whom  were  Charlie  Utter 
(Colorado  Charlie),  H.  G.  Rockfellow,  and  Herbert 
Godard.  Mounted  on  the  fleetest  of  bronchos,  with  mail 
sacks  strapped  onto  their  saddles,  and  their  guns  and  cart- 
ridges thrown  across  the  pommels  ;  silently  and  swiftly 
they  flew  over  the  Indian  infested  trail,  first  between  Fort 
Laramie  and  Deadwood,  and  afterwards  between  Sydney 
and  Deadwood,  with,  the  thousands  of  white-winged  mes- 
sages, never,  as  far  as  known,  losing  a  single  paper,  or  fail- 
ing to  arrive  on  schedule  time.  Although  the  service  called 
for  only  a  weekly  mail,  the  riders  by  a  frequent  relay  of 
fresh  ponies,  sometimes  made  the  trip  in  the  incredibly 
short  space  of  forty-eight  hours,  much  of  the  distance 
being  traveled  under  cover  of  the  night  to  avoid  contact 
with  the  Indians.  For  this  dangerous  service  the  company 
received  tsventy-five  cents  for  each  letter  delivered,  but  as 
the  number  of  letters  varied  from  2,000  to  3,000  each  trip 
the  compensation  was  not  insignificant. 

That  the  riders  had  many  thrilling  experiences  with  the 
redskins  on  their  trips,  goes  without  saying  ;  that  they  some- 
times, too,  had  very  narrow  escapes,  is  illustrated  by  the 
following  story  from  the  pen  of  a  3'^oung  pioneer  of  1876, 
(R.B.Hughes):  — 

'*  Among  the  riders  employed  by  Seymour  and  Utter,  to 
carry  the  mail  from  Deadwood  to  Fort  Laramie,  was  Brant 
Street,  now  living  the  life  of  a  quiet  farmer  in  Dodge 
County,  Nebraska.  Street  was  engaged  to  ride  pony 
express,  and  for  a  month  or  so  went  through  the  expe- 
riences common  in  those  days  to  all  men  in  that  dangerous 
occupation.  He  carried,  besides  the  mail  sack  tied  to  his 
saddle,  nothing  save  a  Remington  rifle  and  a  bag  of  cart- 


LAST   HUNTING   GROUND    OF   THE   DAKOTAHS. 


195 


196  THE   BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

ridges  slung  across  the  pommel  of  the  saddle.  One  after- 
noon, he  was  riding  along  on  his  down  trip,  about  eight 
miles  north  of  Hat  Creek  Station,  not  expecting  trouble, 
for  the  Indians  had  been  unusually  quiet  for  a  week  or 
more,  when  a  volley  was  fired  upon  him  from  the  bush, 
and,  in  an  instant,  as  he  afterwards  told  the  story,  the 
world  seemed  to  be  full  of  redskins.  His  horse  fell  dead 
at  the  first  fire.  One  ball  struck  the  pommel  of  the  saddle 
and  another  knocked  the  heel  from  his  boot.  Extricating 
himself  from  the  saddle  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  pulling 
off  the  gun  and  cartridges,  he  ran  as  fast  as  he  could  to  a 
little  arroyo  close  by,  into  which  he  threw  himself  at  full 
length. 

"  As  he  ran  the  bullets  sang  and  whistled  about  his  ears 
and  kicked  up  the  dust  at  his  feet.  The  Indians  were  rap- 
idly closing  in  on  him  when  he  emptied  his  cartridges  on 
the  ground,  and,  as  he  expressed  it,  commenced  pumping 
lead  back  at  them.  So  warm  did  he  make  it  for  the 
Indians,  that  they  soon  began  to  look  for  cover  and  long 
range,  from  which  they  kept  up  an  intermittent  fusillade 
until  night  fell,  when  they  withdrew.  Street  said  after- 
ward that  the  three  or  four  hours  he  spent  hugging  the 
ground  seemed  longer  than  so  many  days  at  any  other  time 
of  his  life.  The  nerve  of  the  man  is  shown  in  the  fact  that 
after  darkness  had  settled  down  he  crawled  out  to  his  dead 
horse,  disengaged  the  pouches  of  mail,  and  carried  them 
on  his  back  to  Hat  Creek  Station." 

Brave  and  swift  though  these  riders  were,  one  of  them 
at  least  is  known  to  have  fallen  a  victim  to  the  deadly  bullets 
of  the  redskins,  as  about  the  middle  of  August,  a  Sidney 
express  rider  was  found  scalped  beside  his  mail  bag,  be- 
tween Castleton  and  Deadwood. 

In  connection  with  this  private  mail  service,  a  post  office 
was  established  in  Deadwood,  not  for  the  distribution  of 
mail  as  in  regular  United  States  service,  but  for  a  safe 
depository,  where  the  people  could  go  and  get  their  mail 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  197 

under  certain    restrictions.     Upon   the  arrival  of  the  ex- 
press, the  pouches  were  emptied  of  their  contents  and  the 
letters  arranged  alphabetically  as  before,  when  the  letters 
would  be  handed  out  as  called  for —  only  one  person's  mail 
could  be  called  for  at  a  time.     By  right  of  priority,  first 
come  first  served,  each  new  one  claiming  mail,  regardless 
of  sex,  being  required   by  an   unwritten  law  to  take  his 
position  in  the  line  in  the  rear,  so  that  if  one  desired  to  get 
the  mail  of  a  friend,  he  would  be   compelled  to  take  his 
place  in  the  rear  of  the  column  and  wait  his   turn.     Of 
course  it  took  a  long  time  to  call  out  two  or  three  thousand 
letters  from  the  voluminous  piles  and  weigh  up  the  gold- 
dust  postage,  and   for  that  reason    the    line    was    usually 
long  drawn   out,  a  quarter  of  a   mile,  more  or  less,  and 
those  having  to  repeat  the  operation  grew  proportionately 
tired.     There  are  many  doubtless  in  the  Black  Hills  to-day, 
who  after  the  lapse  of  twenty -one  years,  grow  tired  at  the 
recollection    of   having    stood    in   line    for    three    or   four 
hours  awaiting  their  turns  to  get  a  letter    from    the   old 

home. 

After  two  months  of  pony  express  mail  service,  the  line 
was  sold  out  to  Mr.  Clippenger  of  Fort  Laramie,  whose 
service  proved  so  unsatisfactory  to  the  people,  that  finally 
all  mail  matter  for  the  Hills  was  ordered  to  be  given  into 
the  care  of  the  Cheyenne  and  Black  Hills  Stage  Company 
for  transportation,  such  service  being  at  first  rendered  free 
of  charge. 

Occasionally,  before  the  establishment  of  the  Pony  Ex- 
press Service,  letters  for  the  Hills  were  intrusted  to  the 
care  of  parties  of  gold-seeking  adventurers  to  be  delivered 
directly  into  the  hands  of  the  parties  addressed  when 
found.  Sometimes  such  persons  were  not  readily  found, 
in  which  case,  letters  frequently  passed  through  several 
hands  before  reaching  their  addresses,  and  I  now  recall  two 
occasions,  on  which  I  received  very  badly  soiled,  tattered 
and  torn  missives,  bearing  the  unmistakable  ear-marks  of 


198 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


having  been  perused  by  other  eyes  than  those  for  whom 
they  were  intended.  However,  we  could  not  afford  to  be 
too  fastidious  in  those  days,  and  were  glad  to  get  even 
second-hand  news.  Such  were  the  postal  limitations  in  the 
Black  Hills  in  1876. 


V 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    CF   THE    DAKOTAHS. 


199 


CHAPTEK    Xyi. 

THE  YELLOWSTONE  EXPEDITION;  OR,  THE  INDIAN  CAMPAIGN 

OF  1876. 

The  Yellowstone  Expedition  of  1876  furnishes  the  theme 
for  a    tra-ic  chapter  in  the  history    of   the   Blacii    Hills. 
While  the  campaign   may  be  considered  by  some  more  a 
matter  of  general  history,  inasmuch  as  the  expedition  had 
its  inception  in  the  necessity  for  throwing  protection  around 
the  people  of  the  Black  Hills  and  the  outlying  settlements 
against  the  depredations  of  hostile  Sioux,  and  also  in  that 
the  Black  Hills  would  more  directly  lose  by  its  failure  or 
profit  by  its  success,  than  any  other  portion  of  our  com- 
mon country,  it  may  be  regarded  as  essentially  a  part  of 
Black  Hills  history.     Howbeit,  believing  it  to  be  such,  it 
seems  fitting  that  a  brief  account  of  that  memorable  cam- 
paign, the  causes  leading  thereto,   its  object  and  results, 
be  recorded  on  these  pages,  that  the  name  of  the  dead  hero, 
whose  trail  the  first  pioneers  followed  into  the  wilderness, 
may  be  ever  kept  green  in  their  memories. 

Primarily,  the  invasion  of  the  Black  Hills  in  1874,  and 
the  subsequent  failure  of  the  Sioux  to  obtain  redress  for 
such  violation  of  treaty  obligations  in  their  council  with 
the  United  States  Commissioners  in  1875,  followed  by  the 
unrestricted  influx  of  gold-seekers  into  their  domain,  — 
acrcrravated,  doubtless,  by  a  long  list  of  fancied  wrongs, 
tre^asured  up  for  years,  -  yet  unavenged,  engendered  the 
bitter  hostilities,  which  resulted  in  the  crowning  tragedy 
of  1876  —  the  tragedy  of  the  Little  Big  Horn. 

The  more  direct  and  immediate  cause,  however,  precipi- 
tating the  conflict,  was  the  refusal  of  certain  bands  of 
hostite  Indians  to  complv  with  the  request  of  the  Indian 
Department,  that  they  be  compelled  to  settle  down  on  their 


200 


THE    BLACK   HILLS;    OR, 


SITTING    BULL. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS.         201 

reservation,  subject  to  the  control  of  the  Indian  agents. 
It  was  to  compel  obedience  and  bring  in  these  recalcitrant 
bands,  who  were  roaming  at  will  over  a  very  large  scope  of 
the  Western  public  domain,  — but  rarely  visiting  their 
agencies  (only  when  rations  were  drawn),  that  the  cam- 
paign iinown  as  the  Yellowstone  Expedition,  was  authorized 
by  the  War  Department  and  placed  under  the  direction  of 
Gen.  Sheridan,  in  the  winter  of  1875-6. 

About  this  time.  Sitting  Bull,  the  "  medicine  man  "  of 
these  hostile  bands,  learning  of  the  contemplated  aggres- 
sive movements,  began  to  concentrate  his  savage  forces, 
and  away  out  westward  among  the  mountains  of  Southern 
Montana,  he  planted  the  hostile  standard  —  at  a  point  he 
thought  admirably  located  for  his  purpose  —  not  too  far 
away  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  making  dashing  raids 
on  the  distant  settlements,  yet  near  enough  to  the  impreg- 
nable ramparts  of  the  Big  Horn  mountains,  to  which,  if 
closely  pursued,  he  could  make  his  escape,  and  at  the  same 
time  accessible  to  foreign  territory,  where  needed  recruits 
could  be  obtained. 

Pending  the  military  warlike  movements,  the  wily  Brule 
chieftain  —  the  most  uncompromising  and  relentless  of  the 
foes  of  the  pale-faces,  and  his  savage  coadjutors,  the  vin- 
dictive Uncapapas,  Chief  Gall,  and  Crow-king,  and  the 
reckless  Crazy  Horse,  the  ruling  spirits  of  the  hostile  forces, 
were  rapidly  gathering  in  recruits  from  nearly  all  the  tribes 
of  the  Sioux  nation.  Couriers  and  runners  were  sent  out 
with  the  "  war  pipe  "  to  the  various  reservations  to  stir  up 
the  spirit  of  war  among  the  agency  Indians;  hundreds  of 
them  from  both  the  upper  and  lower  agencies,  including 
all  the  renegade  outlaws  of  the  various  tribes,  hastened  to 
swell  the  hosts  of  Sitting  Bull  on  the  Yellowstone. 

The  plan  of  the  campaign  for  subduing  these  savage  forces, 
which  finally  numbered  in  the  aggregate  from  6,000  to  8,000 
Indians  and  squaws,  including  nearly  3,000  of  the  most 
warhke  braves  of  the  Sioux  nation,  was  briefly  as  follows  : 
A  column  from  the  Department  of  the  Platte  under  Gen. 


202  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Crook  and  one  from  Fort  Abraham  Lincoln,  under  Gen. 
Terry  to  be  joined  by  Gen.  Gibbons'  command  from  Fort 
Ellis,  on  the  Upper  Yellowstone,  were  to  co-operate,  and 
in  conjunction,  surround  and  capture  the  hostile  bands,  or 
drive  them  onto  their  respective  reservations. 

In  the  execution  of  the  above  plan,  about  the  1st  of 
March,  1876,  Gen.  Crook,  in  command  of  the  first  column 
consisting  of  ten  companies  of  Third  Cavalry  and  two  of 
the  Fifth  Infantry,  comprising  altogether  less  than  900 
men,  moved  out  westward  from  Fort  Laramie  in  quest  of 
the  savage  foe,  going  into  camp  on  the  Powder  river  near 
old  Fort  Reno,  where  he  remained  on  account  of  severe 
storms  for  several  weeks,  meanwhile  reorganizing  his 
army.  Soon  after  their  arrival  in  camp.  Gen.  Reynolds, 
with  the  force  of  cavalry  and  pack-train,  proceeded  down 
the  river  and  when  about  fifty  miles  below,  on  the  17th  of 
March,  he  was  met  and  repulsed  by  Craz}^  Horse  and  his 
baud  of  100  lodges,  which  obliged  him  to  return  to  camp, 
and  it  was  at  the  time  of  this  delay  and  repulse  that  the 
Indians  left  their  agencies  by  hundreds  to  join  the 
hostiles. 

As  soon  as  the  weather  made  it  practicable.  Gen.  Crook 
resumed  his  march  with  a  little  more  than  1,000  fighting 
men  (a  force  wholly  inadequate,  as  it  turned  out,  to  cope 
successfully  with  the  enemy  in  an  almost  totally  unknown 
country),  and  about  200  more  as  scouts,  teamsters,  and 
packers,  reaching  Goose  creek  —  a  branch  of  the  Tongue 
river  —  about  the  first  of  June,  where  he  made  a  permanent 
camp. 

The  ♦'  hostiles,"  on  the  approach  of  Gen.  Crook,  of 
whose  movements  they  kept  themselves  thoroughly  well- 
informed  through  the  medium  of  scouts  and  spies  who 
were  ever  diligently  scouring  the  country  on  the  watch  for 
any  threatened  danger,  sent  out  a  large  party  of  their 
best  fighting  braves  to  discover  the  real  strength  of  the 
approaching  army,  and,  if  expedient  and  practicable, 
precipitate  a  conflict. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS,  203 

On  the  17th  of  June,  Gen.  Crook  encountered  these 
Indians  somewhere  near  the  headwaters  of  the  Rosebud, 
where  a  battle  ensued,  in  which  the  expedition  was 
defeated  and  compelled  to  retreat  —  without,  it  is  believed, 
any  serious  loss  —  placing  it,  however,  for  the  time  being, 
practically  out  of  the  campaign. 

The  victorious  Indians  after  repeated  fruitless  attempts 
to  decoy  Gen.  Crook  into  ambush  in  the  canyons  of  the 
Rosebud,  faced  about  and  returned  on  their  trail  to  the 
village  near  the  Little  Big  Horn  — the  very  trail,  doubtless, 
struck  and  followed  up  by  Custer  and  his  brave  troopers 
to  their  death  eight  days  later. 

The  Sagacious  Sitting  Bull  and  his  allies,  upon  being 
warned  of  the  advance  of  Gen.  Custer's  column  from  the 
east,  and  easily  discerning  in  the  general  movement  the 
net  that  was  being  woven  around  them,  determined  not  to 
be  caught  in  its  meshes  unprepared,  so  with  admirable 
foresight,  they  had  located  their  village  along  the  west 
bank  of  the  Little  Horn  —  thus  commanding  its  waters  — 
the  key  to  the  situation,  and  in  near  proximity  to  the  Big 
Horn  mountains,  whither  they  could  send  their  squaws  if 
need  be,  and  make  their  own  escape  perfectly  safe  from 
pursuit  amid  their  frowning  battlements. 

It  was  near  this  their  chosen  vantage  ground,  insolent 
and  defiant  in  their  conscious  strength,  that  the  yelling 
savage  hosts  of  Sitting  Bull,  in  all  their  gaudy  panoply, 
and  fairly  bristling  with  the  most  approved  arms,  closed 
around  and  blotted  out  of  existence,  by  sheer  force  of 
numbers,  Custer  and  five  troops  of  his  beloved  Seventh  — 
soldiers  as  valiant  and  brave  as  ever  bestrode  a  horse  or 
shouldered  a  carbine. 

THE    CUSTER    COLUMN. 

On  the  morning  of  May  15th,  the  second  column  of  the 
Yellowstone  Expedition,  with  Brig. -Gen.  Terry  in  command 
of  all  the  forces,  numbering  in  the  aggregate  about  1,200 


204  THE    BLACK   HILLS  ;    OR, 

men,  and  1,400  animals,  left  Fort  Abraham  Lincoln  to  join 
in  the  campaign  against  the  hostile  Sioux. 

As  the  long  line  of  cavalry,  infantry,  artillery,  mounted 
scouts,  pack  mules,  ponies,  with  the  long  train  of  supply 
wagons,  marched  out  from  the  garrison,  conspicuous  at  the 
head  of  the  column  might  be  seen  Gen.  Custer — every 
inch  a  soldier —  and  the  gallant  Seventh  Cavalry  with  the 
twelve  companies  of  splendidly  disciplined  troopers, 
mounted  on  their  glossy,  prancing,  well-trained  horses,  the 
sheen  of  their  carefully  polished  accoutrements  gleaming 
brightly  in  the  morning  sun,  making,  methinks,  to  any 
lover  of  military  display,  a  pageant  worth  going  a  long 
distance  to  see. 

These  brave  soldiers  and  their  heroic  leader,  while  fully 
realizing  the  hardships  and  dangers  which  lay  before 
them,  and  being  inured  to  the  hardships  of  Indian  cam- 
paigns, with  resolute  faces  and  courageous  hearts,  confident 
of  success  —  for  had  not  the  very  name.  Seventh  Cavalry, 
been  ever  a  synonym  of  victory,  —  pressed  forward  to 
defeat  and  death.  Ah  !  did  no  thought  or  premonition,  no 
vision  of  the  awful  calamity  that  awaited  them  on  the  bluffs, 
overlooking  the  picturesque  valley  of  the  Little  Big  Horn, 
come  to  them  meanwhile?  We  cannot  know.  But  let  us 
follow  their  movements  along  their  line  of  march  thither, 
till  the  curtain  drops,  behind  which  the  closing  scene  of  the 
drama  was  enacted. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  after  four  days'  march,  the  expedi- 
tion reached  the  Little  Missouri  river,  about  forty-six  miles 
distant  from  Fort  Lincoln,  where  a  halt  of  one  day  was 
made  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  truth  or  falsity  of 
rumors  current  at  the  fort,  that  hostiles  were  gathered 
in  large  force  on  that  stream  and  prepared  to  give 
battle. 

Gen.  Custer,  with  four  companies  of  cavalry,  a  number 
of  scouts,  himself  acting  as  guide,  rode  up  the  valley  of 
the  Little  Muddy  about  twenty  miles  and  back,  without 
finding  Indians  or  even  any  recent  trace  of  them,  which 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAH8.  205 

settled  the  question  of  Indians  thereabouts  beyond  doubt. 
However,  as  the  savages  were  liable  to  be  encountered  at 
any  time,  scouts  were  kept  constantly  employed  scouring 
the  country  in  advance,  and  on  the  flanks  of  the  column  all 
alona:  its  line  of  march. 

Traveling  directly  westward,  over  a  country  then  before 
untraveled  by  white  men,  the  command  reached  the  Powder 
river,  about  twenty  miles  above  its  mouth,  June  9th,  from 
which  point  the  expedition  marched  northward  down  the 
river,  through  the  almost  impassable  Bad  Lands,  —  at  first 
regarded  as  altogether  impracticable  for  wagons, — to  its 
mouth,  where  the  nearly  exhausted  supply  of  rations  and 
forage  was  replenished  from  the  loaded  boats,  which  had 
steamed  up  the  Yellowstone  for  that  purpose.  From  this 
point,  a  large  scouting  party  and  several  troops  of  cavalry 
under  Major  Keno,  were  sent  out  in  advance  to  discover, 
if  possible,  some  trace  or  trail  leading  to  the  rendezvous  of 
the  hostiles,  who  were  supposed  to  be  not  very  far  away. 

After  three  days  for  rest  and  recuperation,  on  the  15th 
of  June,  Gen.  Custer,  with  six  companies  of  cavalry,  the 
Gatling  battery,  scouts  and  pack  mules,  moved  west  from 
the  mouth  of  Powder  river,  —  leaving  all  unnecessary 
incumbrances,  such  as  wagons,  tents,  etc.,  behind  —  to  the 
mouth  of  Tongue  river,  about  forty  miles  distant,  reach- 
ing that  point  on  the  evening  of  the  16th,  Gen.  Terry  and 
staff  following  up  the  Yellowstone  by  steamer.  From  the 
mouth  of  Tongue  river  the  column  then  continued  its 
course  westward  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rosebud,  about  mid- 
way between  the  Tongue  and  Big  Horn  rivers,  which  was 
reached  on  June  20th. 

While  in  camp,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rosebud,  the  scout- 
ing party  returned  and  reported  that  the  trail  and  deserted 
camp  of  a  village  of  380  lodges,  indicating  a  force  not  less 
than  1,200  in  all,  had  been  discovered;  also  reporting  that 
the  Indians  could  have  been  overtaken  in  thirty-six  hours, 
as  the  trail  appeared  to  be  not  more  than  a  week  old. 

Had  this  scouting  party  of  perhaps  more  than  500  well- 


206  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

equipped  soldiers  and  scouts,  at  once  pressed  forward  oa 
this  fresh  trail,  instead  of  returning  to  the  main  division  of 
the  column,  thereby  losing  much  valuable  time,  the  entire 
village,  it  is  believed,  would  have  been  overtaken,  surprised 
and  captured,  and  thus,  perchance,  the  terrible  fate  of 
Custer  and  his  gallant  command  might  have  been  averted. 
Evidently  this  failure  to  follow  up  the  Indians  placed  Cus- 
ter in  great  jeopardy,  by  giving  the  hostiles  an  intimation 
of  his  near  approach,  and  giving  them  time  to  reach  and 
join  the  forces  on  the  Little  Horn,  and  also  opportunity 
to  mature  plans  for  effective  offensive  or  defensive 
operations. 

All  plans  being  arranged,  and  preparations  made,  at  noon 
of  June  22d,  —  only  three  short  days  before  the  fatal 
battle,  — our  Gen.  Custer  with  his  gallant  Seventh,  his  force 
of  Ree  and  Crow  scouts,  and  pack  mules  for  carrying  the 
necessary  rations,  moved  bravely  on  up  the  valley  of  the 
Rosebud,  hopeful  of  accomplishing  great  results  ;  confident 
of  achieving  an  easy  and  speedy  victory  over  a  small  village 
of  only  1,200  Indians.     Fatal  mistake  ! 

Gen.  Terry  with  the  regiment  of  infantry  and  Gen. 
Gibbons'  command,  was  to  proceed  up  the  river  as  far  as 
the  steamer  could  go,  and  then  march  to  the  point  where 
he  could  co-operate  with  Gen.  Custer. 

Taking  up  the  trail  where  the  scouting  party  had  turned 
back,  Custer  cautiously  followed  it  up  over  the  divide  be- 
tween the  Rosebud  and  Big  Horn  rivers,  preceded  by  his 
faithful  and  trusty  scouts,  who  kept  up  a  line  of  communi- 
cation with  the  advancing  column.  The  Crows  soon 
became  aware  that  they  were  nearing  the  dreaded  Sioux  — 
they  could  scent  their  natural  enemies  from  afar. 

At  about  11  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  24th,  in  response 
to  "  officers'  call,"  all  troop  commanders  assembled  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  commanding  general  and  received 
marching  orders  —  important  information  had  been  brought 
in,  making  it  necessary  to  move  forward  at  once  —  the 
hostile  village  had    been  precisely  located  by  the  scouts. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  207 

The  bugle  call  of  "  boots  and  saddles"  was  sounded  and 
the  sleepy  troopers  were  soon  in  their  saddles,  and  on  their 
tortuous  march  through  the  brakes  of  the  Wolf  mountains, 
never  halting  until  the  morning. 

The  25th,  the  fatal  day  of  the  battle,  dawned  delightfully ; 
the  run  rose  in  brightness  resplendent — the  sun  whose 
last  slanting  rays  were  to  cast  their  mellow  beams  athwart 
a  scene,  such  as  the  world  has  rarely,  if  ever,  witnessed. 
As  the  day  advanced  and  the  command  were  nearing  the 
enemy,  Custer  ordered  that  no  trumpet  call  be  sounded 
except  in  an  emergency  ;  and  instructed  his  officers  to  keep 
their  respective  troops  within  supporting  distance  of  each 
other—  not  to  get  ahead  of  the  scouts,  nor  linger  too  far 
in  the  rear.  He  told  them  in  impressive  words  how  much 
he  relied  upon  their  discretion  and  judgment,  and  above  all 
upon  their  loyalty  whatever  might  come.  His  tone  and 
manner  was  gentle  and  subdued,  with  none  of  the  usual 
brusqueness  that  characterized  Gen.  Custer.  Was  not  the 
dark  shadow  of  their  coming  doom  brooding  over  him? 

The  3,000  fighting  warriors  w^ere  by  this  time  fully  aware 
of  the  proximity  of  the  long-haired  chief  and  his  handful 
of  soldiers,  and  their  spies  were,  even  then,  lying  prostrate 
on  the  opposite  slopes  of  the  bluffs  watching  the  advanc- 
ing column  over  their  crests.  Before  noon  of  that  day, 
the  command  had  crossed  the  divide,  when  Custer  divided 
his  regiment  into  three  battalions,  which  before  1  o'clock 
were  ready  to  advance  along  the  lines  indicated  in  their 
orders,  against  the  enemy. 

Capt.  Benteen's  battalion  of  three  troops,  consisting 
of  troop  "  H,"  Capt.  Benteen;  troop  "  D,"  Capt.  Wier; 
troop  "  K,"  Lieut.  Godfrey  ;  were  ordered  to  a  line  of  high 
bluffs  on  the  left  of  the  trail,  three  or  four  miles  distant, 
to  reconnoiter  the  field  and  prevent  the  escape  of  the 
Indians  in  that  direction,  and  report  the  situation  to  the 
commanding  general,  and  fight  if  necessary. 

Major  Reno  in  command  of  the  advance  battalion,  com- 
posed  of  troop  "  M,"   Capt.  French;  troop  "  A,"    Capt. 


208  THE    BLACK  HILLS;    OR, 

Moylan  ;  troop  "  G,"  Lieuts.  Mcintosh  and  Wallace,  under 
orders  to  charge  the  village,  followed  the  trail,  crossed  the 
river  at  the  ford,  and  marched  his  troops  down  towards  the 
enemy,  massed  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Little  Horn. 

Gen.  Custer  with  his  battalion  of  five  troops,  viz.: 
troop  "  I,"  Capt.  Keogh  and  Lieut.  Porter;  troop  "  F," 
Capt.  Yates  and  Lieut.  Riley;  troop  *'  C,"  Capt.  Tom  Custer 
and  Lieut.  Harrington;  troop  "  E,"  Lieuts.  Smith  and 
Sturgis;  troop  "  L,"  Lieuts.  Calhoun  and  Crittenden; 
with  scouts,  numbering  all  told  not  more  than  300  men, 
prepared  to  take  his  position  on  the  bluffs  to  the  right,  at 
the  lower  end  of  the  village. 

For  the  last  time  those  brave  boys  in  blue  cheerfully 
responded  to  the  inspiring  trumpet  call  of  '*  mount."  Once 
more  in  obedience  to  the  bugle  call,  sweet  and  clear,  of 
"  Forward,  March  !  "  they  rode  bravely  along  the  trail  of 
the  savages  until  near  the  ford,  then  up  onto  the  bluffs  to 
the  right,  overlooking  the  Little  Horn.  "  Boldly  they 
rode  and  well,  into  the  jaws  of — "  but,  the  curtain  drops. 
Well,  what  then?  The  sequel  and  scene  of  conflict  tell  us 
that,  in  a  brief  space,  there  was  a  short,  fierce,  terrible 
battle — the  true  details  of  which  can  never  be  known. 
We  only  know  that  not  one  of  that  gallant  three  hundred 
ever  rode  back  to  rehearse  the  story  of  Custer's  last  battle. 
The  annihilation  was  complete.  Ah!  that  was  not  all. 
What  did  the  fiends  incarnate  then  do?  It  is  not  at  all 
difficult  to  conceive  and  draw  a  mental  picture  of  their  work. 
We  can  plainly  see  in  the  picture  a  burly  savage —  malig- 
nant hate  portrayed  in  every  lineament  of  his  ugly  painted 
face,  with  glistening  blade  in  hand,  bending  low  over  each 
prostrate  form  —  perchance,  many  not  yet  dead.  We  can 
see  the  reeking  scalp  of  each  separate  victim  waved  exult- 
antly in  the  air,  and  now  we  can  see  them  stripped  of  their 
clothing  and  their  pockets  rifled.  We  can  see  the  murder- 
ous bandits  flitting  about  all  over  the  battle-ground  among 
the  dead,  in  a  general  scramble  after  the  arms  and  accou- 
trements of  the  dead  soldiers,  which,  with  such  few  horses 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND   OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  209 

ns  had  escaped  the  awful  carnage,  are  handed  over  to  the 
squaws  and  other  non-combatants ;  and  lastly,  we  can  see 
them  mount  their  ponies  and  ride  in  hot  haste,  and  red- 
handed,  to  attack  the  beleaguered  battalions  on  the  bluffs 
above.  It  did  not  take  them  long  to  accomplish  all  this, 
as  there  were  legions  of  them,  and,  moreover,  the  picture 
is  not  overdrawn,  but  literally  true. 

The  following  particulars  of  the  movements  of  Major 
Reno  and  Capt.  Benteen  in  their  two  days'  fight  on  the 
Little  Big  Horn,  are  gleaned  partly  from  official  reports, 
and  partly  from  an  article  on  the  subject  by  Lieut. 
Godfrey,  one  of  Custer's  troop  commanders  in  Capt.  Ben- 
teen's  battalion.  As  Lieut.  Godfrey  was  a  participant  in 
the  battles,  he  is  entitled  to  be  regarded  as  unquestionable 
authority  on  the  subject. 

The  story,  shorn  of  all  unnecessary  details,  is  substan- 
tially as  follows  :  — 

Major  Reno,  after  crossing  the  ford,  moved  his  column 
down  the  valley  of  the  Little  Horn,  in  a  line  skirting  the 
timber  for  perhaps  two  miles,  then  formed  his  battalion 
into  a  skirmish  line,  extending  out  from  the  timber  across 
the  valley  —  with  the  Ree  scouts  on  the  left,  and  advanced 
down  toward  the  Indian  village.  The  Indians  who  had 
rode  up  the  valley  to  meet  the  soldiers,  made  a  pretext  of 
retreating — developing  strength  meanwhile,  and  firing 
occasional  shots.  Suddenly,  at  the  opportune  time,  they 
made  a  bold  dash  on  Reno's  left  flank,  forcing  his  command 
back  into  the  timber  on  the  river  bank,  and  putting  the 
Ree  scouts  to  an  ignominious  flight.  It  is  told  that  the 
cowardly  Rees  fled  precipitately  —  never  stopping  until 
they  reached  the  supply  camp,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Powder 
river. 

Reno,  not  seeing  Custer  within  supporting  distance,  did 
not  obey  the  order  to  charge  the  village,  but,  being  forced 
back  on  the  defensive  in  the  timber,  ordered  his  troops  to 
dismount  and  fight  the  enemy  on  foot.  His  position  — 
sheltered  by  the  timber,  and  protected  to  an  extent  by  the 

14 


210  '  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

river  bank,  was  a  good  one,  and  it  is  thought  could  have 
been  maintained  for  a  long  time  without  serious  loss, 
Howbeit  the  Indians  surrounded  the  command  on  every 
side,  and  sent  their  death-dealing  missiles  fast  and  furious 
into  their  ranks.  Major  Reno  —  on  finding  himself  bespat- 
tered with  the  blood  of  his  faithful  scout  (Bloody  Knife), 
who  fell  riddled  at  his  side,  and  hemmed  in  by  overpower- 
ing numbers,  at  least  five  to  one  —  gave  the  order  to 
"  mount  and  get  to  the  bluffs,"  but  owing  to  the  noise  of 
battle  and  the  confusion,  the  order  was  not  heard  or  not 
understood.  It  would  appear  that  the  troops  were  becom- 
ing sadly  demoralized.  The  order  of  "  mount  and  get  to 
the  bluffs  "  was  repeated,  and  again  not  understood,  and 
not  until  one  of  the  troop  commanders  standing  near 
Reno,  communicated  the  order  to  the  other  troops,  was  it 
understood. 

The  command  then,  for  the  most  part,  mounted  and 
made  a  hasty  retreat  across  the  river  at  a  lower  ford,  and 
without  the  least  semblance  of  military  order,  scrambled 
up  the  bluffs  on  the  right.  While  crossing  the  river  a 
number  were  shot  —  among  them  was  the  brave  Capt. 
Hodgson,  who,  when  he  fell  from  his  horse  into  the  river,, 
cried  out  in  despairing  tones,  **  For  God's  sake  don't  leave 
me  here."  At  that  moment  a  soldier  held  out  the  stirrup 
of  his  saddle  and  told  him  to  take  hold  of  it.  Grasping 
the  stirrup,  he  was  dragged  through  the  water  to  the  oppo- 
site side,  but  when  climbing  the  bank  of  the  stream,  he 
was  struck  by  another  ball  and  fell  back  into  the  water. 
An  attempt  was  afterwards  made  to  recover  his  body,  but 
without  success. 

When  scaling  the  bluff,  it  became  apparent  that  but  few 
of  the  Indians  had  followed  up  Reno's  retreat,  for  reasons 
which  soon  became  manifest.  How  long  Reno's  fight  in 
the  timber  lasted  is  uncertain,  as  estimates  of  the  time 
vary;  probably,  however,  not  more  than  twenty  or  thirty 
minutes.  Reno's  casualties,  nearly  all  of  which  occurred 
during  the  retreat,  were  three    officers,  thirteen    enlisted 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS.  211 

men  and  scouts  killed;  one  officer,  one  interpreter  and 
fourteen  soldiers  and  scouts  missing. 

Soon  after  Reno's  disorderly  retreat  to  the  bluffs,  he 
was  joined  by  Benteen's  battalion,  followed  by  the  pack 
train  on  their  way  to  join  Custer.  At  that  time  Capt. 
Benteen,  the  hero  of  the  Little  Big  Horn,  first  learned  of 
Reno's  fight  and  defeat  in  the  valley.  Just  about  the  time 
of  this  junction  of  Reno  and  Benteen,  it  was  discovered 
that  the  Indians  for  the  greater  part  had  abandoned  the  pur- 
suit of  Reno's  retreating  troops,  but  upon  looking  down 
the  river  it  was  seen  that  the  bottom  was  swarming  with 
mounted  warriors,  riding  excitedly  to  and  fro,  evidently  in 
great  consternation;  soon  they  were  seen  to  ride  swiftly 
down  the  valley  out  of  sight. 

It  was  at  this  very  time  that  the  Indians,  having  been 
warned  of  the  appearance  of  more  soldiers  farther  down 
the  bluffs,  surrounded  and  utterl}^  annihilated  Custer  and 
his  men. 

It  seems  inexplicable,  and  only  upon  the  hypothesis  that 
they  feared  the  movement  of  the  Indians  might  be  a  ruse 
to  decoy  them  from  their  point  of  vantage,  that  no  con- 
certed movement  of  the  two  battalions  was  made,  at  the 
time  of  this  diversion,  to  reach  Custer.  In  view  of  the 
facts,  however,  such  a  theory  becomes  liaseless,  as  they 
obviously  knew  that  a  battle  was  in  progress  on  the  bluffs 
below;  they  knew  that  Custer  was  having  a  fight  with  the 
Indians,  for,  says  Mayor  Reno  in  his  official  report : 
"  Almost  at  the  same  time  I  reached  the  top  (of  the 
bluff),  mounted  men  were  seen  to  be  coming  towards  us, 
and  it  proved  to  be  Capt.  Benteen's  battalion  H,  D,  and  K. 
We  joined  forces  and  in  a  short  time  the  pack  train  came 
up.  Still  hearing  nothing  of  Custer,  and  with  this  re- 
inforcement I  moved  down  the  river  in  the  direction  of  the 
village  keeping  on  the  bluffs.  We  heard  firing  in  that 
direction  and  knew  it  could  be  only  Custer.  I  moved  to 
the  summit  of  the  highest  bluff,  and  seeing  and  hearing 
nothing,  sent  Capt.  Wier  with  his  company  to  open  com- 
munication with  the  command.     He   soon  sent  back  word 


212  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

by  Lieut.  Hare  that  he  could  go  no  farther.  I  at  once 
turned  everything  back  to  the  fir^t  position,  and  which 
seemed  to  me  best." 

Capt.  Benteen  on  learning  that  Capt.  Wier  and  his  bat- 
talion had,  without  orders,  gone  down  the  river  with  his 
troops,  moved  the  other  two  troops  of  his  command  down 
the  river  in  the  direction  Capt.  Wier  had  gone,  and  from 
the  top  of  the  high  bluff  got  his  first  view  of  the  Indian 
village,  and  discovered  Wier's  troops  in  full  retreat  fol- 
lowed closely  by  the  Sioux.  What  could  a  single  company 
of  calvary  do  against  hundreds  of  armed  savages? 

It  is  plain  then  that  it  was  after  the  junction  of  Reno's 
and  Benteen's  battalions,  that  the  Custer  battle  was  in  prog- 
ress, and  not  simultaneously  with  Reno's  fight  in  the  valley, 
as  is  supposed  by  some.  Yes,  they  knew  that  Custer  was 
having  a  fight  with  the  Indians;  shot  after  shot  was  heard 
from  the  direction  of  Custer's  battle-ground,  perhaps  a 
little  more  than  two  miles  below.  What  did  those  shots 
mean?  They  meant  that  Custer  was  having  a  fierce  conflict 
with  the  red  hosts  that  drove  Reno  in  disorder  to  the  bluffs 
a  half  hour  before.  Then  again  they  heard  two  distinct 
volleys  in  rapid  succession.  What  did  those  volleys  mean? 
They  meant  that  Custer  was  in  deadly  peril  —  a  signal  to 
the  soldiers  he  had  so  often  led  to  victory  to  hasten 
without  delay  to  his  support. 

Custer's  last  desperate  appeal  reached  the  ears  of  the  five 
or  six  hundred  soldiers  above,  but  no  response  came.  Alas, 
the  opportune  time  soon  passed,  for  in  less  than  one  hour 
the  Indians,  flushed  with  their  bloody  victory,  were  hasten- 
ing to  drive  them  from  their  position  ob  the  bluffs. 

Had  the  officer  superior  in  command  rallied  the  entire 
forces  to  his  support,  at  the  sound  of  the  first  shot  from 
Custer's  field,  he  would  have  won  and  deserved  immortal 
honors.  Strange  as  it  appears,  they  seemed  to  feel  no  appre- 
hension that  Custer  was  in  any  real  danger,  believing  that 
he  was  perfectly  able  to  take  care  of  himself,  but  how  they 
could  think  so  in  view  of  Reno's  disaster  a  short  time  before 
is  somewhat  puzzling. 


GKNHkAL  Custer's   last  chai:ge. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  213 

It  is  believed,  upon  the  very  unsatisfactory  information 
drawn  from  Indians  who  took  part  in  the  battle,  that  the 
ammunition  of  some  of  Caster's  troops  became  exhausted, 
that  two  of  his  troops  had  dismounted  to  do  battle  on  foot, 
and  that  their  horses,  made  frantic  by  the  waving  of 
blankets  and  the  yelling  of  the  Indians,  had  been  stampeded, 
bearing  away   with  them  the    reserve  ammunition   in  the 

saddle-bags. 

It  will  be  understood  that  when  Benteen  jomed  Keno 
on  the  bluffs,  he  was  on  his  way  with  the  pack  train  to 
join  Custer,  in  obedience  to  an  urgent  order  —  Custer's 
last  order-which  read  as  follows:  "Benteen,  come 
quick!  Big  Village  ;  Bring  packs.  Cook,  Adjutant.  P.  S. 
Brintr  packs."  This  order  would  indicate,  that  from  some 
favorable  point  he  had  discovered  the  full  strength  of 
the  Indian  village,  and  realizing  that  the  situation  was 
desperate,  had  sent  for  reinforcements,  and  more  am- 
munition. 

About  the  time  that  Reno  was  moving  in  line  down  the 
valley  toward  the  Indian  village,  some  of  his  men  saw 
Custer  and  a  few  of  his  battalion,  standing  dismounted  on 
a  bluff,  cheering  and  waving  their  hats  as  if  giving  en- 
couravrement  to  Reno's  men;  and  that  was  the  last  seen  of 
him  or  any  of  his  men,  until  found  dead  on  the  battlefield. 
It  is  said,  that  the  bluff  where  Custer  was  last  seen  was 
the  one  to  which  Reno  escaped  with  his  demoralized  troops 
about  an  hour  later. 

The  Indians,  after  the  Custer  battle,  returned  red- 
handed  to  the  siege  of  the  bluff,  with  a  determination  to 
wipe  out,  if  possible,  by  virtue  of  numbers,  the  residue  of 
the  regiment.  In  brief,  the  Indians  in  a  very  short  time 
gained^possession  of  the  surrounding  points  of  vantage,  and 
began  to  pour  deadly  shot,  thick  and  fast,  into  the  ranks  of 
the  soldiers,  who,  being  on  the  defensive,  could  do  little 
more  than  to  maintain  their  positions  ;  making  occasional 
bold  sorties  to  drive  back  the  besiegers  whenever  they 
became  too  aggressive.  When  night  came,  the  Indians,  by 
that  time  in  possession  of  all  the  surrounding  hills,  had  the 


214  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR 

two  commands  completely  environed,  and  had  not  darkness 
intervened  to  put  a  stop  to  further  hostilities  that  night, 
they  would,  in  all  probability,  have  shared  the  fate  of 
Custer. 

That  night,  after  the  battle  was  over,  the  united  tribes  of 
Indians  held  high  carnival  in  the  village  below,  in  savage 
celebration  of  their  bloody  victory  —  nor  did  they  in  the 
least  try  to  conceal  their  unbounded  joy. 

Hundreds  of  huge  bonfires  were  built  through  the  village, 
and  what  with  the  continuous  discharge  of  firearms  (they 
had  plenty  of  ammunition),  the  beating  of  tomtoms;  wild 
exultant  whooping  and  yelling,  scalp-dancing,  etc.,  pande- 
monium reigned  supreme.  All  the  night  through  they 
kept  up  their  savage  orgies  in  which,  it  is  thought,  human 
heads  were  paraded,  —  as  several  were  found  afterwards 
severed  from  the  bodies.  They  were  working  themselves 
up  to  a  pitch  of  frenzy  that  boded  no  quarter  on  the  mor- 
row to  the  weary  men  on  the  bluffs,  who  could  from  their 
position  hear  and  see  neurly  the  whole  fantastic  proceed- 
ing,—not  a  very  inspiring  spectacle  under  the  circum- 
stances, one  would  think. 

When  the  fighting  had  ceased  for  the  night,  and  the 
Indians  had  for  the  greater  part  withdrawn  to  the  village, 
scouts  were  dispatched  to  find  some  trace  of  Custer's  com- 
mand, but  they  soon  returned,  reporting  that  the  country 
was  full  of  "Sioux."  By  this  time,  when  they  could 
breathe  more  freely,  and  think  more  rationally,  everybody 
beoan  to  wonder  what  had  become  of  Custer.  "  What's 
the  matter  with  Custer?"  "  Why  don't  he  send  us  word 
what  he  wants  us  to  do?"  All  sorts  of  speculations  were 
indulged  in,  and  all  kinds  of  theories  advanced  but  the 
true  one.  The  general  opinion  expressed  was  that  he  had 
had  a  battle,  was  repulsed,  and  had  gone  down  the  river  to 
meet  Terry,  and  would  soon  return  to  their  relief. 

The  most  intense  excitement  prevailed  among  the  troops 
on  the  bluffs.  A  curious  hallucination,  in  which  there  is 
something  inexpressibly  pathetic,  took  possession  of  the 
men  —  arising  doubtless    from    the    excessive   mental  and 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  215 

physical  strain  of  the  day  past.  Some  imagined  they  could 
see,  in  the  refracted  light  of  the  numerous  Indian  bonfires 
on  the  opposite  bluffs,  columns  of  troops  advancing  over 
the  ridges  ;  they  fancied  they  could  hear,  amid  the  din  and 
/  confusion  of  their  savage  orgies,  the  tramping  of  horses, 
the  command  of  officers,  and  even  the  trumpeter's  call. 
So  confident  were  some  that  either  Gen.  Crook  or  Gen- 
Terry's  command  was  approaching,  that  guns  were  fired, 
and  "stable  call"  sounded  to  let  them  know  their  exact 
position,  and  that  they  were  friends. 

One  man  mounted  a  horse  and  galloped  along  the  line, 
crying,  "  Don't  be  discouraged,  boys,  Crook  is  coming!  " 
Poor  fellows,  it  was  but  a  phantasy  ;  no  reinforcements 
came  to  their  support  for  the  morrow's  battle. 

Realizing  that  with  the  dawn  of  day  the  Indians  would 
return  to  the  siege,  the  whole  of  that  terrible  night  was 
spent  in  making  preparations  for  their  defense.  The 
soldiers  were  put  to  work  digging  trenches,  and  as  there 
were  but  few  shovels  and  spades  in  the  command,  all  kinds 
of  implements,  axes,  hatchets,  halves  of  canteens,  tin  cups, 
and  even  table  knives  and  forks  were  brought  into  service. 

Long  before  the  sun  had  tipped  the  distant  mountain 
peaks,  and  while  the  tired  soldiers  were  yet  digging  in  the 
trenches,  the  Indians  opened  fire  upon  them,  —  a  few 
straggling  shots  at  first,  but  as  the  day  advanced  they 
were  heavily  reinforced,  and  the  firing  became  more  gen- 
eral, fierce  and  furioU'S,  but  not  as  effective  as  the  savages 
could  wish  for,  as  many  of  the  troops  were  then  in  their 
rifle  pits.  Finding  their  shots  were  being  to  a  great  ex- 
tent wasted,  they  adopted  the  policy  of  trying  to  exhaust 
the  ammunition  of  their  opponents,  by  a  few  cunning 
devices  designed  to  invite  the  fire  of  the  troops.  The  first 
invitation  was  to  stand  as  a  target,  in  full  view,  for  a  min- 
ute, and  then  drop  suddenly  out  of  sight,  which  they  soon 
found  to  be  a  rather  dangerous  experiment;  then  they  tried 
the  ruse  of  raising  a  hat  and  blanket  on  a  stick  or  pole, 
but  the  soldiers  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry  had  fought  Indians 
too  often  to  be  deceived  by  such  old  fashioned  tactics. 


216  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

In  brief,  a  continuous  fusillade  was  kept  up  on  both  sides, 
with  an  occasional  volley  from  the  Indians,  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  day. 

Some  brilliant  sorties  were  made  by  troop  commanders 
of  Benteen's  command,  which  it  would  appear  was  most 
exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  Indians,  who  made  numerous 
attempts  to  run  into  his  lines.  At  one  time  Benteen  made 
a  bold  charge  against  an  aggressive  party  of  Indians,  driving 
them  nearly  to  the  river. 

At  about  one  o'clock  p.  m.  when  the  situation  was  most 
critical,  the  ammunition  being  nearly  exhausted,  the  Indians 
for  the  most  part  withdrew. 

Up  to  this  time  this  soldiers,  having  been  entirely  cut  off 
from  the  river,  had  suffered  intensely  with  thirst.  Their 
tongues  had  become  parched  and  swollen,  their  lips  were 
cracked  and  bleeding  ;  every  drop  of  moisture  in  the  glands 
of  the  body  having  been  absorbed.  In  the  hope  of  finding 
relief  they  resorted  to  chewing  grass  roots,  but  without  ef- 
fect. As  a  last  resort,  raw  potatoes  were  sparingly  doled 
out  to  the  famished  men,  which  in  small  measure  lessened 
their  terrible  suffering.  The  sickening  stench  from  the 
rapidly  decomposing  dead  added  to  the  horrors  of  the  situa- 
tion. The  wounded  and  the  dying  —  ah,  pitying  heaven  !  — 
lay  under  the  burning  rays  of  a  pitiless  sun,  begging  in 
vain  for  a  drop  of  water  to  cool  their  fevered  tongues. 
Dr.  Porter,  the  army  surgeon,  never  leaving  his  post  of 
duty,  moved  like  a  ministering  spirit  from  one  to  another 
of  his  suffering  patients,  doing  what  he  could,  but  without 
a  drop  of  water  with  which  to  cleanse  their  bleeding  wounds. 

Numerous  attempts  had  been  made  by  volunteers  to 
reach  the  water  but  they  were  as  often  driven  back  by  a 
rain  of  bullets  from  the  Indians,  who  were  ever  on  the 
alert.  Capt.  Benteen  once  made  a  bold  charge  to  the  river 
under  the  protection  of  a  skirmish  line  exposed  to  a 
galling  fire,  in  response  to  the  piteous  appeal  of  the 
wounded  soldiers,  which  brave  act  alone  is  suflScient  to 
render  his  name  immortal  for  all  time. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  217 

At  about  2  p.  m.  the  Indians  returned  to  the  attack, 
driving  the  soldiers  again  into  the  trenches.  They  kept 
up  a  kind  of  desultory  firing  until  about  3  o'clock  p.  m. 
when  they  withdrew  altogether. 

Later  in  the  afternoon  a  few  horsemen  appeared  in  the 
valley  below  and  set  fire  to  the  grass,  and  at  7  o'clock 
they  were  seen  to  emerge  from  behind  the  cloud  of  smoke 
and  move  in  an  immense  mass  across  the  plateau  between 
the  two  Horns  towards  the  Big  Horn  Mountains.  Had  they 
abandoned  the  siege  for  good,  or  was  it  another  ruse? 
Perhaps  they  were  moving  their  squaws,  papooses  and  non- 
combatants  away  to  a  safe  distance,  intending  to  return 
with  all  their  fighting  warriors  for  a  last  desperate  attempt 
to  drive  the  soldiers  from  their  intrenchments.  Perchance 
information  of  the  near  approach  of  Terry's  and  Gibbon's 
commands  with  Gen.  Custer's  battalion  had  been  heralded 
to  them  and  they  were  hurrying  away  to  the  fastnesses  of 
the  mountains  to  avoid  them.  These  were  the  various 
theories  suggested  in  reference  to  the  last  movement  of  the 
Indians.  As  the  sequel  proved,  the  latter  theory  was  the 
true  one  in  all  save  that  Custer  and  his  battalion  were  not 
of  them. 

The  two  days'  fight  resulted  in  the  loss  of  eighteen  killed 
and  fifty-two  wounded. 

The  commands,  doubtful  as  to  the  real  intentions  of  the 
Indians,  remained  in  their  position  that  night.  At  about  9 
o'clock  the  next  morning,  June  27th,  the  third  day  after 
the  Custer  battle,  their  attention  was  attracted  by  a  cloud 
of  dust  rising  in  the  distance  down  the  valley.  The  first 
thought  was  that  the  Indians  were  returning  for  a  last 
desperate  attack.  The  tired  soldiers  again  began  to  make 
hurried  preparations  for  the  expected  battle.  Soon,  how- 
ever, they  became  satisfied  that  the  approaching  forces 
were  soldiers,  and  not  Indians,  as  their  march  seemed 
altogether  too  slow  for  the  dashing  savages. 

After  nearly  an  hour  of  suspense,  the  cavalcade  appeared 
in  sight.    No  gray-horse  troop  was  to  be  seen  in  the  column  ; 


218  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OU, 

SO  it  could  not  be  Terry,  or  Custer  would  be  with  him. 
Then  it  must  be  Crook's  command.  Cheer  after  cheer  was 
given  for  Gen.  Crook  who  was  coming  to  their  relief. 
They  had  not  yet  learned  that  Crook's  command  had  been 
placed  hors  de  combat  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Rosebud 
ten  days  before. 

They  were  not  long  kept  in  uncertainty,  for  soon  a  scout 
came  into  their  lines  bearing  a  note  from  Gen.  Terry 
to  Custer  dated  June  26th,  which  stated  that  two  Crow 
scouts  had  given  information  that  his  (Custer's)  column 
had  been  whipped  and  nearly  all  killed,  but  that  he  did  not 
believe  their  story  and  was  coming  with  medical  aid.  The 
scout  told  that  he  had  tried  to  get  within  their  lines  the 
night  before,  but  could  not  as  the  Indians  were  on  the  alert. 

Let  it  be  understood  here  that  no  attack  of  the  Indian 
village  on  the  25th  was  contemplated  in  the  plan  of  opera- 
tions nor  anticipated  by  Custer,  but  finding  himself  con- 
fronted by  the  enemy  sooner  than  expected,  he  felt  com- 
pelled to  make  the  attack  on  that  day,  or  allow  the  Indians 
to  escape. 

Soon  after  an  officer  of  Terry's  command  came  into  their 
lines,  and  the  first  question  asked  of  him  was:  "  Where  is 
Custer?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  the  officer,  but  I  suppose  he 
was  killed.  We  counted  197  dead  bodies  as  we  passed  the 
battle-ground,  and  I  don't  suppose  any  escaped." 

That  was  the  first  intimation  they  had  received  of  Custer's 
fate  nearly  two  whole  days  and  nights  after  the  battle. 

"  Gen.  Terry  and  staff,  and  officers  of  Gen.  Gibbon's 
command,  soon  approached  and  their  coming  was  greeted 
with  prolonged  cheers. 

"  The  grave  countenance  of  the  General  awed  the  men  to 
silence.  The  officers  assembled  to  meet  their  guests.  There 
was  scarcely  a  dry  eye;  hardly  a  word  was  spoken,  but 
quivering  lips  and  hearty  grasping  of  hands,  gave  token  of 
thankfulness  for  the  relief,  and  grief  for  the  misfortune," 
relates  Lieut.  Godfrey. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  219 

On  that  evening,  the  27th,  the  dead,  killed  in  Reno's  two 
days'  fight,  were  buried  ;  the  wounded  were  removed  to  the 
camp  of  Gen.  Terry,  where  they  could  receive  the  treat- 
ment and  care  of  which  they  were  in  such  sore  need. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  the  soldiers  left  the  bluffs 
to  bury  the  dead  of  Custer's  command.  Let  us  precede 
them,  and  view  the  scene  where  the  heroes  fell  ;  —  the 
scene  of  Custer's  last  battle. 

Let  us  march  in  sad  and  silent  procession,  down  the 
valley  two  miles  (perhaps  more)  and  climb  the  first  con- 
siderable bluff  on  the  right  of  the  Little  Horn,  and  about 
a  half  mile  therefrom  and  there  —  ah,  what  a  sickening, 
grewsome  spectacle  meets  the  horrified  gaze  !  All  over  the 
battle-ground  lay  the  nude,  mutilated  bodies  of  the  dead 
soldiers  ;  officers  and  men,  rider  and  horse,  all  lying  in 
promiscuous  blending;  some  with  faces  upturned  to  the 
blue  and  smiling  sky;  others,  with  faces  prone  to  the 
earth,  as  if  biting  the  dust;  some  wearing  an  expression  of 
sweet,  restful  peace;  others  a  pained,  horrified  expression  ; 
many  mutilated  bej^ond  recognition.  Heaps  of  exploded 
cartridges  lay  thickly  strewn  over  the  battle-ground. 

On  the  hill  known  as  "  Custer's  Hill,"  where  the  gal- 
lant commander  with  three  of  his  troops  evidently  made 
their  last  determined  stand,  we  find  Custer,  victor  in  many 
a  previous  hard-fought  Indian  battle,  with  a  bullet  hole  in 
his  temple,  and  another  through  his  body,  but  with  no 
other  marks  of  disfigurement.  A  little  distance  away  — 
we  hardly  recognize  the  face  so  horribly  mutilated,  of  the 
brave,  large-hearted  Tom  Custer,  and  hard  by  lies  the 
young,  inexperienced  Boz,  (Boston  Custer),  whom  his 
brother,  the  General,  so  much  delighted  to  tease  —  and 
the  mother's  darling.     God  pity  her. 

A  little  to  the  left  of  Cust-er's  field  is  "  Crittenden's 
Hill,"  where  the  dismounted  troops  of  Calhoun  and  Keogh 
desperately  fought  and  fell  —  where  the  same  sad  spec- 
tacle confronts  us.  Some  of  the  dead  are  found  down  near 
the  river  ;  these,  it  is  thought,  were  trying  to  make  their 


220  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

escape,  or,  perhaps,  had  been  dispatched  as  messengers  to 
Reno's  command  on  the  bluff  above.  This,  however,  is 
wholly  conjectural. 

The  terrible  mutilation  of  the  body  of  Capt.  Tom  Cus- 
ter is  laid  at  the  door  of  the  monster  Rain-in-the-Faee, 
who  had  sworn  to  be  avenged  on  the  gallant  officer,  who 
had  the  courage  to  arrest  him  for  the  crime  of  murderinof 
two  defenseless  men  near  Fort  Lincoln.  Upon  an  occa- 
sion, when  Rain-in-the-Face  was  drawing  his  ration  at  his 
agency,  Capt.  Custer  stepped  up  behind  him,  pinned  down 
his  arms  and  manacled  him,  in  the  presence  of  hundreds  of 
Indians ;  had  him  taken  to  Fort  Lincoln  and  placed  in 
prison.  He  afterwards  made  his  escape,  vowing  that  he 
would  tear  out  and  eat  the  heart  of  his  brave  captor  at  the 
first  opportunity.  That  he  fulfilled  to  the  letter  the  first 
part  of  his  vow  is  known,  and  that  he  fulfilled  the  latter  is 
believed. 

Among  those  killed  on  Reno's  retreat  from  the  valley 
was  Charlie  Reynolds,  one  of  Custer's  long  tried  and  most 
trusted  scouts.  It  is  related  that  the  brave  fellow  sold  his 
life  very  dearly.  After  exhausting  the  cartridges,  in  both 
his  gun  and  revolver,  he  was  seen  to  deal  such  a  fierce  blow 
with  the  latter,  on  the  head  of  an  Indian,  in  close  combat, 
that  it  broke,  thus  leaving  him  at  the  mercy  of  the  enemy. 
He  soon  fell  shuttered  by  a  volley  of  bullets. 

Reynolds  was  with  Custer  on  his  expedition  into  the 
Black  Hills  in  1874,  at  which  time  he  was  sent  with  dis- 
patches from  the  Cheyenne  river  to  Fort  Laramie,  through 
the  hostile  country,  enduring  hardships  and  privations, 
from  which  he  never  fully  recover. 

His  early  life  was  wrapped  in  complete  mystery.  If  he 
had  a  secret  that  darkened  his  life,  as  some  suspected, 
he  guarded  it  well,  as  he  skillfully  evaded  all  questions, 
even  from  his  most  intimate  friends,  referring  to  his 
antecedents. 

All  of  the  slain  were  buried  on  the  battle-ground  where 
they  fell — ground  afterwards  (in  1879)  set  apart  by  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  221 

government  as  a  national  cemetery,  where  an  imposing 
monument  was  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  dead. 

In  August,  1879,  Gen.  Custer's  remains  were  removed 
from  their  temporary  resting-place  and  buried  with  impos- 
ing honors  at  West  Point,  N.  Y.,  where  they  now  repose, 
almost  in  the  shadow  of  the  buildings  where  he  was 
trained  in  the  science  and  tactics  of  civilized  warfare. 

Custer's  body  appears  to  have  been  the  only  one  to  es- 
cape mutilation.  Whether  the  sacrilegious  hands  of  the 
savages  were  stayed  by  a  sentiment  of  admiration  for  the 
wonderful  bravery  of  the  fair-haired  chief,  or  by  a  super- 
stitious fear  of  the  wrath  of  the  great  Manitou,  is  a  matter 
for  speculation. 

It  is  related  that  Chief  Gall,  on  being  questioned  as  to 
the  reason  why  Custer  was  not  scalped,  said:  "No  one 
knew  him  from  anyone  else.  His  hair  was  cut  short,  and 
we  could  not  tell  him  from  any  other." 

This  statement,  however,  seems  highly  improbable,  as  he 
had  often  been  seen  by  muny  of  the  Indian  chiefs  engaged 
in  the  battle,  and  also  wore  the  uniform  of  his  rank,  which 
in  itself  would  distinguish  him  from  any  of  the  others. 

Rude  stretchers  were  soon  constructed  to  convey  the 
wounded  of  Reno's  two-days'  battle  to  the  forks  of  the  Big 
Horn  —  a  distance  of  perhaps  twenty  miles  —  where  they 
were  placed  on  board  the  steamer  Far  West,  which  con- 
veyed them  to  Fort  Abraham  Lincoln,  with  the  news  of  the 
awful  disaster  to  the  gallant  Seventh  Regiment. 


222  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XYIT. 

NEWS    OF    THE    TERRIBLE    DISASTER    REACHES    THE    BLACK 

HILLS. 

News  traveled  slowly  in  1876,  before  the  advent  of  rail- 
roads in  the  Northwest,  and  was  long  reaching  the  people 
of  the  Black  Hills.  All  information  of  the  movements  of 
the  forces  sent  out  against  the  hostiles  hud  then  to  be 
carried  either  down  the  Missouri  by  steamer  to  Eastern 
points,  or  across  a  long  stretch  of  country  over  the  trails 
west  of  the  Hills,  to  Fort  Laramie,  thence  by  mail  to  the 
Black  Hills;  so,  not  until  about  the  10th  of  July  did  the 
awful  tidings,  that  crushed  the  hearts  and  blotted  all 
brightness  out  of  the  lives  of  the  anxious  wailing  wives  of 
the  slain  heroes  of  the  Little  Big  Horn,  reach  them  at 
Fort  Lincoln;  and  not  till  ten  days  later  did  the  shocking 
news,  that  meant  so  much  to  the  people  of  the  Black  Hills, 
reach  Deadwood  (the  center  of  population  in  the  Hills 
in  1876),  and  other  points  in  direct  communication  with 
the  outer  world. 

The  intelligence  came  to  the  people  of  the  Hills  like  a 
mighty  blow  from  an  unseen  hand  —  stunning,  striking  them 
dumb  by  its  very  suddenness.  At  first,  many  refused  to 
believe  the  shocking  story.  That  Custer  had  met  with 
reverses  they  admitted  was  probable,  that  his  entire  bat- 
talion had  been  annihilated  was  not  believed  possible. 
However,  as  the  source  from  which  the  information 
emanated  left  little  room  for  question,  soon  all  doubt  of 
the  truth  of  the  story  vanished.  All  were  in  a  state  of 
intense  excitement  in  the  city  of  Deadwood.  An  extra  of 
the  Pioneer  was  speedily  struck  off,  and  distributed  along 
Deadwood,  Whitewood,  and  tributary  gulches.  That  great 
throbbing,  busy  mining  camp,  with  its  thousands  of  cosmo- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  223 

politan  population,  was  stirred  to  the  depths,  from  center 
to  circumference,  as  tlie  news  spread  from  claim  to  claim. 

The  scene  presented  along  the  main  street  of  Dead  wood, 
on  the  evening  of  that  day,  when  the  miners  gathered  in 
from  all  the  neighboring  gulches,  was  one  not  soon  to  be 
forgotten.  The  excited,  swaying,  jostling  masses,  surging 
to  and  fro  on  both  sides  of  the  long,  narrow  street ;  the 
eager  groups  of  men  gathered  at  the  doors  of  numerous 
business  houses  in  excited  discussion  of  the  terrible  dis- 
aster, gave  evidence  of  how  deeply  and  universally  the 
people  of  the  Hills  of  all  classes  were  touched  by  the  unex- 
pected calamity.  Even  the  many  gambling  resorts  that 
lined  the  street  were  silent  for  the  nonce;  the  roulette 
tables,  the  faro  banks,  and  other  games  had  lost  their 
fascination,  and  the  click,  click,  clicking  of  the  chips  fell 
not  for  a  brief  time  on  the  accustomed  ear  —  alas,  how 
brief ! 

The  story  of  Custer's  tragic  death  soon  reached  the 
remote  mining  camps  scattered  through  the  Hills,  and  no 
doubt  the  eyes  of  many  a  hardy  miner  and  prospector  in 
their  lone  huts  under  the  shadow  of  the  Hills,  grew  moist 
at  the  revelation,  for  many  of  the  early  prospectors  knew 
him  well,  and  loved  him. 

Mingled  with  the  general  expression  of  sorrow  and 
regret  at  the  fate  of  Custer  and  his  men,  were  bitter 
denunciations  of  the  dilatory  policy  of  the  government  in 
dealing  with  the  Indians,  thereby  permitting  the  lives  and 
property  of  the  people  of  the  Hills  to  be  jeopardized. 

The  Indian  campaign  had,  thus  far,  proved  barren  of 
good  results.  Crook's  column  had  been  reversed;  Terry's 
column  had  met  with  dire  disaster;  Sitting  Bull  and  his 
warriors  had  escaped  to  the  mountains,  bearing  with  them 
the  trophies  of  victory.  The  hedge  of  security  that  had 
temporarily  been  thrown  around  the  Black  Hills  had  been 
pulled  down  and  torn  up  by  the  roots,  leaving  their  borders 
exposed  to  the  ravages  of  the  savage  hordes,  who,  the 
people  feared,  might  any  day  swoop  down  from  the  moun- 


224  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

tains  upon  the  exposed  settlements  *'  like  wolves  on  the 
fold."  And  our  worst  fears  were  in  a  large  measure  real- 
ized, for  soon  after,  returning  bands  of  the  hostiles  began 
again  to  ply  their  work  of  murder  and  theft  in  and  around 
the  Hills,  frequently  making  bold  dashes  right  into  the 
limits  of  thickly-settled  communities,  driving  off  stock  be- 
fore the  eyes  of  their  owners,  and  killing  whenever  it  was 
possible.  For  two  months  during  the  summer  of  1876, 
notwithstanding  the  excellent  organizations  for  protection 
and  defense,  the  people  of  the  Hills  were  terrorized  by  the 
boldness  of  their  operations,  which  will  be  specially 
referred  to  further  on  in  this  work. 

The  following  verses,  couched  in  the  expressive  dialect 
of  the  plains,  from  the  pen  of  an  early  Black  Hills  pioneer, 
Capt.  Jack  Crawford,  the  "  poet  scout,"  to  his  friend, 
Buffalo  Bill,  a  brother  scout,  lamenting  the  sad  fate  of 
Custer,  under  whom  they  both  served,  is  well  worth  pre- 
serving, not  only  on  account  of  its  merits,  and  the  popu- 
larity of  the  author,  but  as  a  specimen  of  real  Black  Hills 
literature :  — 

1. 
Did  I  hear  the  news  from  Custer? 
Well,  I  reckon  I  did,  old  pard. 
It  came  like  a  streak  o'  lightning, 

And  you  bet,  it  hit  me  hard. 
I  ain't  no  hand  to  blubber, 

And  the  briny  ain't  run  for  years, 
But  chalk  me  down  for  a  lubber 
If  I  didn't  shed  regular  tears. 

2. 

What  for?     Now,  look  ye  here.  Bill; 

You're  a  bully  boy,  that's  true. 
As  good  as  ever  wore  buckskin. 

Or  fought  vv'ith  the  boys  in  blue. 
But  I'll  bet  my  bottom  dollar, 

Ye  had  no  trouble  to  muster 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  225 

A  tear,  or  perhaps  a  hundred, 

When  ye  heard  of  the  death  of  Custer. 

3. 

He  always  thought  well  of  you,  pard ; 

And,  had  it  been  Heaven's  will. 
In  a  few  more  days  you'd  met  him, 

And  he'd  welcome  his  old  scout  Bill ; 
For,  if  you  remember,  at  Hat  Creek 

I  met  ye  with  General  Carr, 
We  talked  of  the  brave  young  Custer, 

And  recounted  his  deeds  of  war. 

4. 

But  still,  we  knew  even  then,  pard. 

And  that's  just  two  weeks  ago. 
How  little  we  dreamed  of  disaster. 

Or  that  he  had  met  the  foe. 
That  the  fearless,  reckless  hero. 

So  loved  by  the  whole  frontier. 
Had  died  on  the  field  of  battle. 

In  this,  our  Centennial  year. 


I  served  with  him  in  the  army. 

In  the  darkest  days  of  the  war, 
And  I  reckon,  ye  know  his  record, 

For  he  was  our  guiding  star. 
And  the  boys  who  gathered  round  him 

To  charge  in  the  early  morn, 
War'  jest  like  the  brave  who  perished 

With  him  on  the  Little  Horn. 

6. 

And  where  is  the  satisfaction, 

And  how  are  we  going  to  get  square? 

15 


226  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

By  giving  the  reds  more  rifles? 

Inviting  them  to  take  more  hair? 
We  want  no  scouts,  no  trappers, 

No  men  who  know  the  frontier, 
Phil,  old  boy,  you're  mistaken, 

You  must  have  the  volunteer. 

7. 

Never  mind  that  200,000, 

But  give  us  100  instead. 
Send  5,000  men  toward  Reno, 

And  soon  we  won't  leave  you  a  red. 
It  will  save  Uncle  Sam  lots  of  money, 

In  fortress  we  need  not  invest. 
Just  wallop  the  devils  this  summer, 

And  the  miners  will  do  all  the  rest. 


The  Black  Hills  is  now  filled  with  miners. 

The  Big  Horn  will  soon  be  as  full, 
And  which  will  present  the  most  danger 

To  Crazy  Horse  and  Old  Sitting  Bull  — 
A  band  of  10,000  frontiersmen. 

Or  a  couple  of  forts,  with  a  few 
Of  the  boys  in  the  East,  now  enlisting? 

Friend  Cody,  I  leave  it  with  you. 

9. 

They  talk  about  peace  with  the  demons, 

By  feeding  and  clothing  tbein  well, 
I'd  as  soon  think  an  angel  from  heaven 

Would  reign  with  contentment  in  hell. 
And  some  day  these  Quakers  will  answer. 

Before  the  great  Judge  of  all 
For  the  death  of  daring  young  Custer, 

And  the  boys  that  around  him  did  fall. 


GEXERAL   CUSTER. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  227 

10. 

Perhaps,  I  am  judging  them  harshly? 

But  I  mean  what  I'm  telling  ye,  pard, 
I'm  letting  them  down  mighty  easy, 

Perhaps,  they  may  think  it  is  hard, 
But  I  tell  you  the  day  is  approaching. 

The  boys  are  beginning  to  muster. 
That  day  of  the  great  retribution, 

The  day  of  revenge  for  our  Custer. 

11. 

And  I  will  be  with  you,  friend  Cody, 

My  weight  will  go  in  with  the  boys, 
I  shared  all  their  hardships  last  winter, 

I  shared  all  their  sorrows  and  joys. 
So  tell  them  I'm  coming,  friend  William, 

I  trust  I  will  meet  you  ere  long, 
Regards  to  the  boys  in  the  mountains, 

Yours  truly,  in  friendship  still  strong. 

THE    SUMMER    CAMPAIGN. 

Although  the  Yellowstone  Expedition  had,  up  to  that 
time,  met  only  with  disaster  and  defeat,  the  campaign  was 
by  no  means  abandoned.  The  respective  commands  of 
Gens.  Terry  and  Crook  were  soon  heavily  reinforced,  and 
on  the  thirtieth  day  of  July  —  a  little  more  than  a  month 
after  the  battles  of  the  Little  Big  Horn  —  an  order  was 
received  by  those  officers  from  Gen.  Sheridan  to  unite  their 
forces  and  move  at  once  against  the  hostiles  gathered  on 
the  Rosebud. 

In  pursuance  of  instructions  from  headquarters  in  Chi- 
cago, on  the  morning  of  August  5th,  Gen.  Crook,  with 
the  Second,  Third,  and  Fifth  Cavalry  regiments  in  com- 
mand of  Lieut. 'Col.  Carr,  and  ten  companies  of  the  Fourth, 
Ninth,  and  Fourteenth  Infantry  under  Major  Chambers, 


228  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

numbering  in  the  aggregate  about  2,000  well-equipped  sol- 
diers with  a  force  of  volunteer  and  Crow  scouts,  accom- 
panied by  pack  trains,  set  out  from  his  base,  on  Goose 
creek,  to  join  Gen.  Terry,  stationed  on  the  Yellowstone. 

The  command  took  up  its  line  of  march,  down  the  valley 
of  the  Tongue  river,  thence  in  a  northwesterly  direction, 
over  the  intervening  mountainous  bluffs  to  the  valley  of  the 
Rosebud,  striking  the  trail  over  which  Custer  and  his  com- 
mand bravely  marched  to  their  Waterloo  six  weeks  before. 
On  the  10th  a  junction  was  effected  with  Gen.  Terry 
about  thirty-five  miles  above  the  mouth  of  that  stream,  but 
as  might  reasonably  have  been  expected,  the  birds  had 
flown — the  wary  warriors,  anxious  to  avoid  a  battle  with 
the  soldiers,  in  their  somewhat  weakened  condition,  had 
taken  flight.  It  soon  became  apparent,  from  the  divergent 
trails,  after  leaving  the  valley  of  the  Rosebud,  that  the 
hostile  forces  had  separated  into  bands,  and  it  subsequently 
developed  that  Sitting  Bull  and  his  adherents  had  turned 
their  steps  toward  the  Canadian  border,  while  Crazy  Horse 
and  his  following  had  branched  out  in  the  general  direction 
of  the  Black  Hills.  Without  loss  of  time,  Gen.  Terry's 
Fifth  Infantry  regiment  was  countermarched  to  the  Yel- 
lowstone, for  the  purpose  of  patrolling  the  river  and  inter- 
cepting, if  possible,  the  fleeing  savages  ;  but  they  were  not 
to  be  caught,  as  they  had  made  good  their  escape  across 
the  river,  and  were  already  on  their  way  towards  a  place 
of  refuge  on  British  soil. 

The  next  day,  August  11th,  hoping  to  overtake  the  hostile 
bands  that  had  fled  to  the  eastward,  the  combined  forces 
crossed  the  divide,  following  the  trail  of  the  Indians  to 
the  Tongue  river,  then  down  the  valley  of  that  stream,  for 
two  days'  march,  then  over  the  divide  and  down  the  valley 
of  Powder  river  to  the  Yellowstone,  where  they  arrived  on 
the  17th,  without  sighting  a  single  Indian. 

After  their  long  forced  march  over  the  rough  divides, 
and  down  the  valleys  of  the  streams,  the  command,  appar- 
ently abandoning  all  hope  of  overtaking  the  enemy,  de- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  229 

cided  to  halt  for  a  few  days  for  rest  and  recuperation  on 
the  banks  of  the  Yellowstone. 

On  the  24th  the  united  forces  moved  up  the  Powder 
river  about  twenty  miles,  and  on  the  26th  Gen.  Terry  re- 
turned with  his  command  to  the  Yellowstone,  while  the 
forces  of  Gen.  Crook,  fortified  with  the  regular  rations  of 
hard  tack,  bacon,  etc.,  for  fifteen  days,  began  their  terrible 
march  eastward  across  the  country,  in  distant  pursuit  of 
the  fugitive  bands.  For  ten  days  they  plodded  along  for 
the  most  time  through  rain  and  mud,  bivouacking  at  night 
on  the  sodden  ground;  enduring,  with  the  soldier's  pro- 
verbial philosophy,  all  the  trying  discomforts  of  the  march 
without  a  murmur,  reaching  the  head  of  Heart  river,  on 
the  evening  of  September  the  5th.  As  up  this  time  no 
Indians  had  been  seen,  the  conclusion  was  reached  that 
they  had  turned  their  course  in  the  direction  of  the  Black 
Hills,  which  conclusion  determined  the  subsequent  move- 
ment of  the  commanding  general. 

In  the  gray  of  the  following  morning,  September  6th, 
Gen.  Crook  instead  of  continuing  his  course  east  to  Fort 
Lincoln  —  as  some  of  the  weary  soldiers  hoped  he  might 
do,  being  the  most  available  point  at  which  to  replenish 
their  nearly  exhausted  supplies,  —  marched  his  command 
due  south,  through  a  wholly  unknown  country,  crossing  the 
Cannon  Ball,  the  two  forks  of  the  Grand  and  the  Moreau 
rivers  towards  the  Black  Hills,  under  the  most  inauspicious 
circumstances.  Many  of  the  trails  appeared  to  lead  in 
the  direction  of  the  Hills,  to  whose  people  Gen.  Crook, 
fully  realizing  their  imminent  peril,  was  anxious  to  give 
protection. 

Gen.  Crook's  command  was  at  this  time  in  a  truly 
deplorable  condition.  Eatious  were  well-nigh  exhausted; 
officers  and  men  being  forced  to  resort  to  horseflesh  to  sat- 
isfy gaunt  hunger.  Horses  became  so  jaded  that  many  had 
to  be  abandoned  altogether;  thus  compelling  cavalrymen 
to  join  the  ranks  of  the  infantry,  who,  footsore  and  weary, 
had  often  to  wade  through  mud  nearly  knee-deep,  —  the 


230  THE   BLACK    HILLS  ;     OR, 

rain  beins;  almost  incessant  durins;  the  last  week  of  that 
memorable  march.  Mud  and  water  covered  the  face  of  the 
land  along  the  valleys  of  the  streams,  and  the  exhausted 
soldiers  were  fortunate  indeed  if  they  had  not  to  lie  in  pools 
of  water  at  night  —  not  a  very  delectable  bed  for  a  tired 
body.  In  short,  it  may  be  said  that  Crook's  command  suf- 
fered hardships,  exposure,  and  privations  during  the  closing 
days  of  the  summer  campaign  against  the  hostiles,  rarely 
paralleled  in  the  annals  of  military  marches.  Nothing 
daunted,  however,  by  the  difficulties  in  the  way,  the  expe- 
dition marched  bravely  on  as  rapidly  as  the  limitations 
would  permit. 

Tiring  of  the  monotony  of  horse  steak  straight,  on  the 
night  of  the  7th  of  August,  Capt.  Mills,  with  150  of  the 
best  mounted  troopers  of  the  Third  Cavalry,  was  detailed 
to  make  a  dash  ahead  to  the  nearest  settlements  for  the 
purpose  of  procuring  supplies  for  the  command.  On  reach- 
ing the  vicinity  of  Slim  Buttes  he  surprised  a  village  of 
Brule  Sioux,  under  Chief  Eoraan  Nose,  capturing  about  400 
ponies  and  other  property,  including  a  quantity  of  dried 
meat,  and  making  a  number  of  the  braves  prisoners. 

Among  the  property  found  in  their  possession  was  a  Sev- 
enth Cavalry  guidon,  a  number  of  saddles  and  officers'  uni- 
forms, the  gauntlets  of  the  brave  Capt.  Keogh,  and  three 
Seventh  Cavalry  horses  —  proof  that  the  band  were  red- 
handed  from  the  Little  Big  Horn. 

A  courier  mounted  on  the  swiftest  horse  was  dispatched 
in  hot  haste  to  meet  the  approaching  column,  with  news  of 
the  surprise  and  capture,  and  a  request  from  Capt.  Mills 
that  a  force  be  sent  with  all  possible  speed  to  his  support, 
as  there  was  danger  that  the  escaped  warriors  might  return 
with  reinforcements,  sufficient  to  overpower  him.  The 
news  of  the  surprise  and  capture  was  hailed  by  the  soldiers 
with  exceeding  delight,  and  the  prospect  of  having  a  pas- 
sage with  the  hostiles  inspired  them  to  a  high  degree  of 
enthusiasm  —  for  in  truth,  they  would  have  preferred  more 
fighting:  and  less  marching  through  the  rain  and  mud  —  be- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  231 

sides,  they  felt   that  they  were  owing  the    savages  a  big 
debt,  which  they  were  exceedingly  anxious  to  pay. 

Without  delay  the  cavalry  forces  eagerly  galloped  to  the 
scene  of  danger,  and  closely  in  their  wake  followed  the 
infantry.  Before  noon  of  that  day  the  command  had 
arrived.  It  was  learned  from  the  prisoners  that  Crazy 
Horse's  village  of  300  lodges  was  only  twenty  miles  away, 
but  owing  to  the  fatigue  of  the  men,  and  the  jaded  condi- 
tion of  the  horses,  it  was  deemed  advisable  not  to  move 
against  the  village,  but  to  wait  for  an  attack  by  the 
Indians.  As  was  anticipated,  about  four  o'clock  p.  m. 
Crazy  Horse  with  his  warriors  dashed  upon  the  scene,  with 
fierce  warwhoop,  brandishing  their  arms  and  otherwise 
demonstrating  their  fell  purpose  of  speedily  annihilating 
Gen.  Crook's  entire  command  and  recapturing  their 
ponies. 

This  time,  however,  they  reckoned  without  their  hosts. 
Quickly  the  command  formed  into  a  line  of  defense  around 
the  captured  village  and  property  and  opened  a  brisk  fire 
upon  the  attacking  savage  forces. 

It  is  no  part  of  Indian  fighting  tactics  to  stand  in  solid 
phalanx  to  be  shot  at,  as  do  trained  soldiers,  so,  in  the 
manner  peculiar  to  them,  the  mounted  warriors  rode  wildly 
hither  and  yon  for  a  short  time,  then  circled  round  and 
round  the  environed  village,  meanwhile  returning  the  fire 
of  the  troops,  in  search  of  a  pregnable  point  through  which 
they  could  make  a  sudden  dash  and  recapture  the  lost 
ponies.  No  such  weak  point  was  to  be  found  in  the  lines, 
the  command  standing  as  firm  and  solid  as  a  stone  wall. 
The  lines  stood  bravely  and  unflinchingly  facing  the  shot 
of  the  yelling  savages,  until  darkness  put  a  stop  to  the 
conflict,  when  the  Indians  withdrew,  bearing  away  the 
dead  bodies  of  a  number  of  their  braves,  without  accom- 
plishing their  purpose. 

In  this  fight  at  Slim  Buttes  Gen.  Crook  lost  twenty  men, 
while  Crazy  Horse  it  was  thought  lost  many  more;  how- 
ever,   their  loss  could    not    positively   be  ascertained,  as 


232  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Indians  always  bear  away  their  slain  warriors,  when  they 
fall,  at  any  personal  risk. 

By  the  time  the  smoke  of  battle  had  cleared  away,  the 
soldiers  again  began  to  realize  that  remorseless  hunger 
was  gnawing  at  their  vitals;  to  satisfy  which  fortunately 
the  dried  meat,  a  part  of  the  fruits  of  Capt.  Mills'  con- 
quest, was  available, —  an  agreeable  change  from  the  horse 
meat,  upon  which  they  had  principally  subsisted  for  the 
few  previous  days. 

The  command  camped  that  night  on  the  field  of  battle, 
and  in  the  early  morning  resumed  its  march  Black 
Hills-ward  leaving  the  First  Cavalry  battalion,  under  Major 
Upham,  to  destroy  the  village.  Hardly  was  the  rear  of  the 
main  column  out  of  sight,  before  the  Indians  renewed  the 
attack,  but  being  severely  repulsed,  they  withdrew  and 
were  not  again  seen. 

The  march  of  Crook's  command  from  Crow  creek  to 
Crook  City,  —  which  has  fittingly  been  designated  the 
"Mud  March,"  was  one  long  to  be  remembered  by  the 
soldiers.  Some  of  the  nearly  famished  infantry  men  were 
disposed  to  give  up  the  terrible  struggle  altogether;  a  few 
succumbed,  and  sank  down  in  their  tracks  from  sheer  ex- 
haustion, unwilling  to  make  any  farther  exertion,  and  only 
by  much  urging  and  persuasion  could  they  be  induced  to 
stagger  to  their  feet  and  renew  the  struggle.  Numerous 
cavalry  horses,  worn  out  by  the  hard  forced  march  and 
insufficient  feed,  had  to  be  left  behind. 

On  the  13th  Capt.  Mills,  who  had  again,  on  the  night  of 
the  10th,  been  dispatched  ahead  to  the  settlements,  started 
back  supplies  to  meet  the  command,  which  had  that  same 
day  crossed  the  swollen  Belle  Fourche  and  encamped  on 
the  south  bank  of  that  stream.  Relief  was  near  at  hand, 
for  soon  after  going  into  camp  the  hearts  of  the  hungry 
soldiers  were  made  glad  by  the  arrival  of  a  small  herd  of 
beef  cattle,  followed  a  little  later  by  several  wagon  loads 
of  supplies,  forwarded  by  citizens  of  Deadwood  to  relieve 
the  needs  of  the  soldiers  of  the  command. 


LAST   HUNTING    GROUND    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS.  233 

In  response  to  an  invitation  from  ttie  Common  Council 
of  the  city  Gen.  Crook  and  staff  visited  Dead  wood,  where 
they  were  accorded  a  hearty  welcome  and  generous  hos- 
pitality, in  grateful  recognition  of  the  services  of  the  gal- 
lant commander  in  behalf  of  the  people  of  the  Hills.  A 
public  reception,  at  which  the  polished  and  genial  Gen. 
Dawson  acted  as  master  of  ceremonies,  was  held,  when  his 
many  friends  in  Deadwood  and  surrounding  camps  had  an 
opportunity  of  grasping  the  hand  of  the  brave  Indian 
fighter.  On  the  27th,  in  acknowledgment  of  the  courtesies 
extended  on  that  occasion,  Gen.  Crook  sent  the  subjoined 
letter  to  Deadwood,  from  headquarters  at  Omaha :  — 

Headquarters  Dept.  of  the  Platte,  ) 
Omaha,  Sept.  27th,  1876.  5 
Gentlemen:  At  this,  the  earliest  moment,  I  desire  to 
acknowledge  the  courtesy  of  the  resolutions  passed  by 
your  honorable  body,  inviting  me  to  accept  the  hospitality 
of  your  city,  and  likewise  to  express,  in  behalf  of  myself 
and  staff,  a  most  grateful  appreciation  of  kindness  bestowed 
upon  us  while  with  your.  To  your  Mayor,  E.  B.  Farnum, 
and  Messrs.  Kurtz,  Philbrook,  and  Dawson,  for  the  thor- 
ough manner  in  which  their  duties  as  a  committee  were 
carried  out,  I  desire  to  make  known  our  feelings  of  lasting 
indebtedness. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Geo.  Crook,  Brig. -General. 
To  Mayor  and  Council  of  Deadwood. 

After  a  few  days  of  much-needed  rest,  Crook's  com- 
mand marched  from  Crook  to  Custer  City,  where  it 
remained  in  camp  until  the  early  part  of  October,  when, 
after  a  short  reconnoissance  down  the  south  fork  of  the 
Cheyenne  river,  it  returned  to  Bufi'alo  Gap,  thence  pro- 
ceeded directly  to  Fort  Niobrara  in  Nebraska,  where  the 
expedition  disbanded  October  14th,  1876. 

Thus,  after  nearly  nine  months  of  uninterrupted  service, 
ended  the  Yellowstone  Expedition  of  1876;   and  although 


234  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

tKe  great  Indian  campaign  was  marked  by  no  signal  victories 
in  battle,  it  resulted  in  effectually  breaking  up  the  gigantic 
combination  of  the  hostile  tribes,  driving  their  standard- 
bearer,  a  fugitive,  towards  the  Canadian  border,  and  scat- 
tering other  hostile  bands  in  the  direction  of  their  agencies, 
whither  many  of  the  least  warlike  soon  went,  thus  accom- 
plishing in  great  measure  the  object  for  which  the  campaign 
was  inaug-urated. 

In  disbanding  Gen.  Crook  made  the  following  address  to 
his  command  :  — 

"In  the  campaign  now  closed,  I  have  been  obliged  to 
call  upon  you  for  much  hard  service  and  many  sacrifices  of 
personal  comfort.  At  times  you  have  been  out  of  reach  of 
your  base  of  supplies  in  most  inclement  weather,  and  have 
marched  without  food  and  slept  without  shelter.  In  your 
engagements  you  have  evinced  a  high  order  of  discipline 
and  courage;  in  your  marches,  wonderful  powers  of  en- 
durance, and  in  your  deprivations  and  hardships,  patience 
and  fortitude. 

•'  Indian  warfare  is,  of  all  warfares,  the  most  trying  and 
the  most  thankless.  Not  recognized  by  the  United  States 
Congress  as  war,  it  possesses  for  you  all  the  disadvantages 
of  civilized  warfare,  with  all  the  horrible  accompaniments 
that  barbarism  can  invent  and  savages  execute.  In  it  you 
are  required  to  serve  without  the  incentive  of  promotion 
or  recognition,  in  truth,  without  favor  or  the  hope  of 
reward.  The  people  of  our  sparsely  settled  frontier  in 
whose  defense  you  have  labored,  have  but  little  influence 
with  the  powerful  communities  in  the  East;  their  repre- 
sentatives have  little  voice  in  our  national  councils, 
while  your  savage  foes  are  not  only  the  wards  of  the 
government  and  supported  in  idleness  by  the  nation,  but 
objects  of  sympathy  with  large  numbers  of  people  other- 
wise well-informed  and  discerning.  You  may  therefore 
congratulate  yourselves  that  in  the  performance  of  your 
military  duty  you  have  been  on  the  side  of  the  weak  against 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  UAKOTAHS.     235 

the  strong,    and  that   the  few  people  on  the  frontier  will 
remember  your  efforts  with  gratitude. 

General  George  Crook." 

Soon  after  the  disbandment  of  Crook's  command, 
in  October,  a  detachment  of  soldiers  under  command  of 
Major  Brown,  was  sent  from  Fort  Robinson  to  protect  the 
people  of  the  Black  Hills  from  the  depredations  of  Crazy 
Horse,  who  maintained  a  hostile  attitude  towards  the  people 
until  April,  1877,  when  he  surrendered  and  active  hostilities 
on  the  part  of  Indians  came  to  a  close. 

However,  not  until  about  four  years  later,  after  having 
met  with  several  bad  defeats  at  the  hands  of  Gen.  iNIiles, 
did  the  Sioux  tribes  manifest  a  willingness  to  surrender  and 
return  to  their  agencies,  which  they  finally  did  about  the 
1st  of  June,  1881,  when  they  came  down  the  Missouri 
river  in  steamboats  by  the  hundreds  to  the  Missouri  river 
agencies. 


236  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XYIII. 

1876. 

The  year  187(3  may  be  accounted  the  crucial  period  of 
Blacli  Hills  pioneer  history.  It  was  essentially  the  chaotic 
period;  the  era  of  disorder  and  crime,  when,  in  the  absence 
of  civil  law,  might  struggled  for  the  mastery  over  right ; 
the  period  when  danger  followed  closely  on  the  trail  of  the 
wayfarer,  all  along  the  line  of  march  into  the  Hills,  hover- 
ing on  their  flanks  during  the  day,  and  stalking  about  their 
carapfires  at  night;  the  period  when  danger  lurked  behind 
each  cliff  and  headland  along  the  borders,  and  peered  in 
at  the  door  of  every  rude  cabin  in  the  mining  settlements, 
near  their  limits;  the  year  when  the  pioneers  had  to  do 
yeoman  service  in  battling  with  the  blood-thirsty  Sioux 
for  the  establishment  of  civilization  in  the  Black  Hills, 
many  losing  their  lives,  others  escaping  death  by  a  very 
narrow  margin  indeed.  In  short,  the  year  1876  was  one 
prolonged  tragedy.  Ah,  what  memories  cluster  around 
those  four  simple  figures!  Even  as  I  write  them,  many 
of  the  scenes  of  that  exciting  period  come  trooping 
past,  in  mental  review ;  familiar  faces  and  figures  rise 
up  in  spectral  phalanx  like  the  ghosts  of  those  who 
were  but  are  not. 

SOME    OF    THE    EXPEDITIONS    OF    1876. 

The  spirit  of  dangerous  unrest,  stirred  up  by  the  emis- 
saries of  Sitting  Bull,  at  the  different  agencies,  in  the  early 
spring  of  1876,  when  immigration  to  the  Black  Hills  was 
at  its  flood,  resulted  in  filling  the  country  with  numerous 
marauding  bands  of  painted  warriors,  armed  and  equipped 
for   the   Yellowstone,  who  hung  along  the  lines  of  travel 


LAST   HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  237 

for  the  purpose  of  plunder  and  theft,  incidentally  killing 
all  those  who  interfered  with  the  accomplishment  of  their 
purpose.  Their  early  operations  consisted  principally  in 
running  off  the  horses  of  the  many  expeditions  making 
their  way  over  the  plains  to  the  Hills.  Of  course,  they 
were  not  always  successful,  but  it  sometimes  happened 
that  an  expedition,  despite  the  vigilance  of  its  members, 
would  wake  up  of  a  bright  morning  to  find  its  train  of 
loaded  wagons  stranded  on  the  broad  prairie,  minus  the 
major  part  of  the  motive  power,  in  which  case  pursuit  of 
the  thieves  immediately  followed.  A  posse  of  plucky  men 
would  quickly  saddle  the  few  horses  that  were  left,  buckle 
on  their  cartridge  belts,  mount  and  give  chase.  Following 
up  the  trail  of  the  red  thieves,  they  would  sometimes  over- 
take them  and  recover  the  stolen  property,  at  the  cost 
perhaps  of  two  or  three  of  their  number;  more  frequently, 
however,  the  stolen  stock  was  never  recovered. 

The  horse-stealing  proclivities  of  the  Indians  is  exem- 
plified in  the  case  of  the  Hildebrand  party  while  en  route 
to  the  Black  Hills  in  the  spring  of  1876. 

This  expedition,  of  which  L.  F.  Hildebrand  and  family 
were  a  part,  left  Bismarck  for  the  Black  Hills,  about  the 
last  of  March,  1876.  Mr.  Hildebrand  had  been  an  old- 
time  prospector  and  miner  in  Montana,  and  was  therefore 
schooled  in  the  successes  and  reverses  of  mining  camps,  as 
well  as  the  dangers  incident  to  Western  pioneer  life,  and 
had  also  doubtless  learned  something  of  the  natural  moral 
turpitude  of  the  red  man.  At  all  events,  at  the  end  of  the 
first  day's  march,  the  expedition  closely  corralled  their 
wagons,  secured  their  horses  with  picket  ropes  a  short  dis- 
tance away,  and  encircled  the  camp  and  stock  with  a  body 
of  armed  guards,  as  a  precaution  against  possible  attack. 
A  visit  on  the  first  night  out  was  hardly  looked  for,  but 
contrary  to  their  expectations,  at  about  3  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  April  1st,  just  as  the  moon  had  disappeared 
behind  the  western  horizon,  a  large  band  of  Standing  Kock 
hostiles    made   a   sudden  dash  through  the  line  of  guards 


238 


THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  239 

and  commenced  a  rapid  firing  on  the  camp  —  some  of  the 
band,  meanwhile,  trying  to  cut  loose  and  stampede  the 
horses.  In  an  instant  after  the  first  sound  of  alarm  the 
whole  camp  was  aroused,  and  the  men  were  rushing  through 
a  storm  of  bullets  to  protect  and  save  the  stock.  Mr.  Hii- 
debrand  with  the  aid  of  his  two  eldest  sous,  mere  lads  at 
the  time,  succeeded  in  securing  his  individual  stock  and 
leading  them  safely  within  the  circle  of  wagons.  All,  how- 
ever, were  not  so  fortunate,  as  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to 
relate  the  occurrence,  the  Indians,  with  twenty-two  head  of 
horses  belonging  to  the  expedition,  were  riding  away  with 
the  speed  of  the  wind  towards  the  cottonwoods  along  the 
Missouri  river  bottoms.  Quickly  a  posse  was  organized 
and  started  in  hot  pursuit  on  their  trail,  overtaking  the 
band  about  twenty  miles  distant  from  camp,  and  by  some 
lively  skirmishing  recovering  every  head  of  the  stolen  prop- 
erty. Soon  after,  however,  the  Indians  surrounded  the 
posse,  and  in  an  attempt  to  recapture  the  stock  a  fierce  fight 
took  place,  resulting  in  the  death  of  one  and  the  wounding 
of  two  of  the  pursuing  party,  and  the  killing  of  nine  of 
their  horses.  The  battle  raged  for  three  or  four  hours, 
ending  in  a  victory  for  the  owners  of  the  stock,  who  then 
returned  to  camp  with  the  thirteen  head  that  had  escaped 
the  deadly  bullets  of  the  red  skins. 

The  Indians  were,  by  no  means,  always  responsible  for 
the  many  thieving  raids  made  on  the  herds  of  expeditions 
along  the  lines  in  1876.  Their  white  brethren  of  the  craft 
were  not  a  Avhit  behind  them,  and,  if  possible,  even  more 
dangerous  from  the  standpoint  of  actual  loss.  At  a  very 
early  date  in  1876,  regularly  organized  gangs  of  white 
horse  thieves  — if  a  horse  thief  can  be  called  white  —  began 
plying  their  nefarious  vocation  of  stealing  and  running  off 
stock,  regardless  of  ownership,  wherever  found  and  when- 
ever a  safe  opportunity  offered  itself ;  and  the  oi:)erations 
of  these  banded  robbers  were  so  shrewdly  planned,  and 
skillfully  carried  out,  aided  and  abetted,  as  they  were 
believed  to  be,  by  accomplices  under  the  guise  of  respect- 


240  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

ability  and  lionesty,  that  the  stolen  property  was  seldom 
recovered.  Sometimes  whole  herds  would  be  spirited  away 
in  the  night  and  led  over  devious  ways  and  effectually  con- 
cealed amid  the  fastnesses,  leaving  no  clue  that  might  lead 
to  their  hiding-place. 

Perhaps  the  most  serious  loss  inflicted  by  these  outlaws  in 
1876  was  sustained  by  Chas.  Sasse  &  Co.,  in  the  spring  of 
that  year,  in  Red  Canyon,  where  Persimmons  Bill's  gang 
despoiled  him  of  every  hoof  of  the  stock  belonging  to  his 
train,  leaving  him  stranded  with  his  family  and  loads  of 
valuable  merchandise,  in  the  dangerous  bloody  canyon. 

On  the  11th  day  of  March,  1876,  Mr.  Sasse  and  family, 
accompanied  by  a  small  party  of  men,  left  Cheyenne, 
Wyoming,  with  a  train  of  100  mules  and  twenty-five 
wagons,  freighted  with  a  $10,000  cargo  of  "  Early  Times  " 
whisky  for  the  Black  Hills  market.  I  say  Black  Hills 
market,  because  it  is  neither  reasonable  nor  safe  to  even  in- 
sinuate that  Mr.  Sasse  was  transporting,  through  a  danger- 
ously hostile  country,  such  a  quantity  of  the  "  fiery  fluid  " 
for  his  sole  individual  use.  Be  that  as  it  may,  as  I  first 
asserted,  Mr.  Sasse  &  Co.  left  Cheyenne  with  $10,000 
worth,  in  real  commercial  value,  of  '*  Early  Times  "  whisky 
for  the  Black  Hills,  which  finally  found  its  way  into  the 
Deadwood  market. 

This  was  probably  the  first  extensive  cargo  of  that  kind 
of  merchandise  brought  to  the  Black  Hills. 

Besides  the  train  of  loaded  wagons,  Mr.  Sasse  had  a  team 
of  horses  and  a  wagon  for  his  family  and  the  transporta- 
tion of  their  private  belongings. 

The  journey  proved  devoid  of  accident  or  interesting  in- 
cident until  reaching  to  within  a  day's  march  of  the  Chey- 
enne river  stage  station,  where  his  team  gave  out,  and,  as 
no  Indians  had  been  seen,  he  decided  to  halt  for  a  day's 
rest.  They  had  not  been  long  in  camp  before  Indians  were 
discovered  on  the  distant  blufi's  overlooking  the  trail,  when 
Mr.  Sasse,  realizing  the  extreme  danger  of  delay,  at  once 
pulled  out  with  his  exhausted  team  to  try  to  overtake  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    UAKOTAHS.  241 

train.  On  reaching  the  stage  station  (the  suspected  head- 
quarters of  the  gang,  then  kept  by  Persimmons  Bill  and 
two  brothers,  one  of  whom,  a  veritable  giant,  was  known  as 
Big  John)  they  were  approached  by  the  proprietors  and 
urged  to  remain  at  the  station  that  night,  as  the  redskins 
were  thick  on  the  trail. 

Viewed  in  the  light  of  the  subsequent  wholesale  theft, 
they  seemed  suspiciously  anxious,  to  their  credit  be  it 
said,  that  Mrs.  Sasse  should  not  be  with  the  train  at  the 
time  of  the  intended  raid,  as  there  might  be  occasion  for 
more  or  less  shooting.  However,  Mr.  Sasse,  heedless  of 
their  importunities,  pressed  on  and  joined  the  train  in  Red 
Canyon.  That  night  while  the  camp  was  wrapped  in  mid- 
night slumbers,  all  unconscious  of  the  impending  calamity, 
the  gang,  according  to  their  prearranged  plan,  stole  stealth- 
ily into  camp  and  quietly  took  possession  of  100  mules  and  a 
span  of  horses,  and  noiselessly  led  them  away  out  of  the  can- 
yon ,  then  over  divergent  routes  to  a  secure  hiding-place .  The 
next  morning  an  attempt  was  made  to  trace  up  the  stolen 
stock,  but  all  clue  being  lost  in  the  bewildering  mazes  of 
the  numerous  devious  trails,  the  property  was  never  found. 
Upon  discovering  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  morning,  Mr. 
Sasse  was  forced  to  return  to  the  Cheyenne  river  station 
and  enlist  the  services  of  Big  John  to  transport  his  family 
to  Custer  City. 

Perhaps  few  of  our  early  pioneers  had  a  more  thrilling 
experience  with  the  savage  marauders  than  Capt.  C.  V. 
Gardner,  who,  with  others,  literally  fought  their  way  to 
the  Black  Hills  through  bands  of  hostile  Sioux  in  the  spring 
of  1876.  It  was  on  the  occasion  of  his  second  visit  to  the 
Hills  that  Capt.  Gardner's  right  of  way  into  their  once 
happy  hunting-ground  was  disputed  mile  by  mile  with  the 
red  men,  his  first  trip  being  made  over  an  unmolested  trail 
without  "  let  or  hindrance."  To  all  lovers  of  adventure, 
the  following  brief  account  of  Capt.  Gardner's  first  and 
second  journey  to  the  Hills  may  be  of  interest. 

16 


242  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Capt.  Gardner,  with  whose  name  all  old  residents  of  the 
Black  Hills  are  familiar,  arrived  in  Cheyenne  in  the  early 
part  of  March,  or  perhaps  the  latter  part  of  February, 
1876,  en  route  for  the  New  Eldorado.  During  the  latter  part 
of  the  former  month,  after  having  purchased  the  necessary 
equipments  for  the  journey,  including  a  wagon  heavily 
freighted  with  merchandise  and  supplies,  he  left  that  early 
outfitting  point  for  ihe  Black  Hills,  leaving  his  goods  in 
charge  of  his  partner,  known  afterwards  in  the  Hills  as 
'<  Deaf  Thompson."  Mounting  the  stage  with  his  sturdy 
rifle  by  his  side,  he  sped  on  his  way  to  Fort  Laramie, 
thence  by  mail  wagon  to  old  Red  Cloud  Agency.  Here  he 
provided  himself  with  an  Indian  pony  and  employed  a  half- 
breed  Sioux  to  guide  him  over  the  unknown  country  to 
Custer  at  an  agreed  compensation  of  $25.00,  and  all  he 
could  realize  on  the  Black  Hills  mail  committed  to  his 
(Gardner's)  charge  by  the  postal  authorities  at  Red 
Cloud. 

A  little  after  midnight  Capt.  Gardner  and  his  dusky  guide 
left  the  agency,  and  directing  their  course  by  the  pole- 
star  Black  Hills-ward,  sleeping  nights  under  the  blue  starlit 
canopy  without  shelter,  with  lariat  ropes  secured  to  their 
wrists  as  a  safeguard  against  thieving  Indians,  reached 
Buffalo  Gap  on  the  third  day  out  from  the  agency.  Travel- 
ing up  Buffalo  Gap  Canyon  three  or  four  miles,  they  found 
on  the  trail  three  disabled  wagons,  from  which  the  horses 
had  been  cut  and  driven  off,  and  lying  about,  flour  sacks 
and  trunks,  torn  and  broken  open  and  contents  scattered  to 
the  four  winds,  —  the  handiwork  of  the  Indians.  Continu- 
ing their  journey  towards  Custer,  when  near  Point  of 
Rocks,  they  came  upon  the  party,  whose  outfit  lay  demol- 
ished and  scattered  back  in  the  canyon,  consisting  of  about 
forty  persons  including  families,  the  latter  in  the  most 
pitiable  state  of  alarm,  some  wringing  their  hands  in  grief — 
lamenting  the  killing  of  one  of  their  comrades  by  the 
Indians.  With  this  forlorn  party  Capt.  Gardner  camped 
for  the  night,  going  into  Custer  on  the  following  mornino;. 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     243 

After  a  brief  stay  of  three  days  in  Custer,  satisfied  as  to 
the  prospective  outlook  for  the  Black  Hills  as  a  gold-pro- 
ducing region,  the  captain  started  back  on  his  journey 
for  Cheyenne  with  a  returning  empty  freight  train  and 
about  200  disgusted  tenderfeet  who  were  turning  their 
backs  upon  the  Black  Hills  for  all  time  ;  no  incident  worthy 
of  note  occurring  on  the  outward  trip  save  that  of  finding 
while  in  camp  at  Red  Canyon,  the  arrow-pierced  body  of 
the  colored  woman  of  the  Metz-family-massacre. 

On  reaching  Cheyenne  Capt.  Gardner  purchased  60,000 
pounds  of  merchandise,  contracted  with  Chas.  Hecht,  then 
of  Cheyenne,  to  transport  the  goods  to  the  Black  Hills  at 
the  rate  of  thirteen  and  one-fouith  cents  per  pound,  and 
again  started  for  the  Hills  by  stage  to  Fort  Laramie.  At 
the  Platte  river  he  joined  a  large  party  of  gold-seekers,  also 
destined  for  the  Black  Hills,  among  whom  were  Geo. 
Boland,  Dick  Horsford,  and  Jack  King,  popularly  known 
in  the  Hills  as  the  Black  Hills  rhymist,  and  brother  of 
"  Honest  Dick,"  than  whom  braver  men  never  crossed 
the  hostile  plains  to  the  Black  Hills.  The  party  reached 
Hat  Creek  Station  without  molestation  and  camped  for 
the  night.  The  next  morning,  however,  their  tribulations 
bet^an,  for  while  at  breakfast  a  band  of  Indians  made  a 
dashing  raid  on  the  herd  and  tried  to  stampede  their  stock, 
but,  after  a  brisk  skirmish  they  were  driven  off  without 
loss  on  either  side.  The  train  then,  with  an  advance 
guard,  preceded  by  six  mounted  men  dispatched  ahead  as 
scouts,  traveled  on  toward  the  Hills  until  reaching  a  point 
on  the  route  known  as  "  Down  Indian  Creek,"  when  the 
scouts  were  seen  riding  back  toward  the  train  at  full 
speed,  followed  closely  by  a  half  dozen  redskins.  When 
within  about  twenty  rods  of  the  advance  guard,  the  scouts 
took  position  behind  a  little  knoll  where  they  hoped  to  be 
able  to  defend  themselves  until  the  advance  guard  came  to 
their  assistance.  The  Indians,  however,  quickly  rode 
around  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  knoll  and  fired,  killing 
one  of  the  scouts  and  his  horse  at  the  first  shot,  whereupon 


244  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

the  others  made  a  dash  for  the  train  which  had  in  the 
meantime  corralled  their  wagons.  Soon  thereafter  the  train 
was  attacked  by  about  fifty  Indians,  who,  directing  their 
fire  against  the  weakest  points  of  the  corral,  kept  up  a  con- 
tinuous fusillade,  which  was  gallantly  returned  from  behind 
the  barricade  of  wagons  for  the  space  of  two  hours,  when 
the  Indians  withdrew,  bearing  away  five  dead  braves  as  the 
result  of  the  battle,  —  the  train  losing  two  horses. 

At  the  close  of  the  battle  some  of  the  party,  tenderfeet, 
whose  courage  was  on  the  wane,  concluding  that  they 
already  had  enough  of  Indian  fighting  to  last  them  the  rest 
of  their  lives,  proposed  that  the  train  return  at  once  to 
God's  own  country,  and  abandon  any  farther  attempt  to 
reach  the  Black  Hills.  A  few  demurred,  agreeing,  how- 
ever, to  leave  the  question  to  the  decision  of  the  majority. 
Accordingly,  after  burying  their  dead  companion,  a  meet- 
ing was  held  at  which  every  member  voted  to  take  the 
backward  trail  but  six,  viz..  Jack  King,  Geo.  Boland,  Dick 
Horsford,  Capt.  Gardner,  and  two  others.  In  compliance 
with  the  decision  of  the  majority,  the  train  then  reversed 
its  course  and  marched  back  towards  Fort  Laramie.  After 
traveling  all  da3s  continually  harassed  by  the  Indians, 
they  were  opportunely  met  by  Chas.  Hecht's  and  Street 
and  Thompson's  transportation  trains  accompanied  by 
twenty-five  or  thirty  well-armed  men.  The  situation  being 
explained,  the  incoming  and  outgoing  trains  went  into 
camp  together  for  the  night.  Thus  reinforced,  the  timid 
members  of  the  homeward  bound  party  took  renewed 
courage,  and  at  a  joint  confereuce  held  that  night,  they 
almost  unanimously  decided  to  turn  about  and  fight  their 
way  through  the  hostile  lines  into  the  Hills.  The  next 
day  at  about  nine  o'clock,  another  unsuccessful  attempt 
was  made  to  run  off  the  stock  of  the  train,  shortly  after 
which  the  camp  was  surrounded  by,  as  nearly  as  could 
be  estimated,  about  500  yelling  Indians.  A  participant  in 
the  fight  that  followed  thought  that  the  whole  Sioux 
nation    might   have    been    engaged    in    the    attack,    judg- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  245 

ing  from  the  hailstorm  of  ballets  that  came  hurtlins:  against 

O  3        0 

the  barricades  from  every  direction,  many  of  which  went 
whizzing  through  the  openings  between  the  wagons  in  un- 
pleasant, not  to  say  dangerous,  proximity  to  their  heads. 
The  trainmen,  however,  returned  the  compliment  by  pay- 
ing the  red-skins  back  in  their  own  coin,  to  the  extent 
of  their  ability,  from  behind  their  breastworks  of  loaded 
wagons.  After  an  hour's  fierce  battle  of  bullets,  the  In- 
dians ceased  firing  and  left,  to  renew  the  attack  later, 
with  increased  numbers,  when  the  train  immediately  pulled 
on  for  Hat  Creek  Station. 

As  the  prospect  for  reaching  the  Hills,  against  such  de- 
termined opposition,  seemed  remote,  they  decided  at  this 
critical  crisis  to  invoke  the  protection  of  Uncle  Sam's  sol- 
diers. Capt.  Gardner  and  Billy  Waugh  were  delegated  to 
go  as  messengers  to  Fort  Laramie  to  petition  the  command- 
ing officer  at  that  post,  for  a  military  escort  into  the  Hills. 
Mounting  the  fleetest  horses  belonging  to  the  train,  the  two 
messengers  started  back  on  their  perilous  ride  for  Fort 
Laramie,  but,  on  reaching  Raw  Hide  Buttes  at  3  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  they  providentially  found  encamped,  near  the 
Buttes,  a  company  of  cavalry  and  one  of  infantry,  under 
Capt.  Egan,  sent  out  from  the  fort  on  a  scouting  expedition 
after  Indians. 

Capt.  Egan,  upon  learning  the  mission  of  the  messen- 
gers, and  appreciating  the  dangerous  situation,  readily  con- 
sented to  escort  the  imperiled  train,  at  least  beyond  the 
point  of  danger.  Without  a  moment's  loss  of  time  Gard- 
ner and  Waugh  then  returned,  with  all  possible  speed,  to 
Hat  creek,  when  the  train  pulled  out  for  Indian  creek 
where  Capt.  Egan  had  promised  to  overtake  them  —  which 
he  did  on  the  following  day.  After  the  arrival  of  the  mil- 
itary, Capt.  Gardner  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  train,  by 
the  commanding  oflScer,  who,  after  establishing  a  military 
post  at  that  point,  where  the  infantry  remained,  started 
out  with  his  troops  to  scour  the  surrounding  country  for 
marauding  Indians.     The  train  again  pushed  on,  but  after 


246 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 


traveiiDff  about  ei^ht  miles  one  of  the  waofons  became 
disabled,  necessitating  a  halt  for  repairs.  They  had 
hardly  got  the  wagons  corralled,  and  dinner  in  process 
of  preparation,  before  again  the  alarming  cry  of  Indians  ! 
Indians  !  was  heard  from  different  points  in  the  camp. 
The  cry  came  just  as  Capt.  Gardner,  who  it  appears  was 
the  breadmaker  of   his    mess,  had   his    hands  in  the   soft 


ATTACK   ON  WAGON   TRAIN    EN    ROUTE   TO   THE   BLACK    HILLS   IN    1876. 


dough.  Speedily  withdrawing  his  hands  from  the  mixture, 
without  waiting  to  wash  the  sticky  substance  from  them, 
or  even  to  discard  his  kitchen  apron — with  face,  per- 
chance, artistically  flecked  with  flour,  he,  with  several 
others,  snatched  their  guns  and  hastened  with  all  possible 
speed  to  the  summit  of  an  adjacent  hill  nearly  a  half  mile 
distant  from  where  legions  of  Sioux  warriors,  in  paint  and 
feathers,  were  seen  making  directly  towards  them.  Quickly 
they  retreated  towards  the  camp,  frequently  turning  their 
faces  to  see  if  the  tufted  heads  of  the  savages  had  yet 
appeared    above  the  crest    of   the    hill.     Upon    reaching 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    UAKOTAHS.  247 

camp,  a  messenger  was  at  once  dispatched  to  Capt.  Egan's 
post  on  Indian  creek  to  notify  the  command  that  the  train 
was  surrounded  by  Indians,  and  in  need  of  speedy  assist- 
ance.    The    messenger    was    a    brave  lad,  not  more  than 
seventeen  years  of  age,  who  had  volunteered  his  services 
for  the  dangerous  undertaking.     Mounting  a  swift  horse, 
away  the   courageous  boy  flew  over  the  backward  trail  for 
Capt.  Egan's  post.     He  had  hardly  disappeared  from  view 
before  hundreds  of  whooping    Indians  came  dashing  over 
the  crest  of  the  hill,  soon  surrounding  the  corral  at  long 
range.     After  wildly  circling  around  the  train  two  or  three 
times,  after  the  manner  of  Indians,  they  opened  a  deadly  fire 
against  the  barricade  of  loaded  wagons,  from  behind  which 
the  boys    hurled  back   cold  lead  at  the  red  besiegers,  as 
rapidly   as  they  could  load  and  reload  their  guns.     At  the 
end  of   three  terrible  hours,  the  Indians  suddenly  ceased 
firing,  and  disappeared  in  a  twinkling,  almost  as  quickly  as 
if  the  earth  had  opened  beneath  their  feet  and  swallowed 
them.     With  marvelous  swiftness  they  sped  away  over  the 
hills  out  of  sight.     With  the  wonderful  keenness,  peculiar 
to  these  children  of  nature,  they  had  in  the  heat  of  conflict 
seen  or  scented  approaching  danger.     Just  at  the  moment 
of  their  disappearance  Capt.  Egan  and  his  troopers  were 
seen  riding  with  the  speed  of  the  wind  towards  the  camp, 
their  beautiful    white    horses    panting,    with    nostrils  dis- 
tended,   and   flecked  with  foam.     They   had    ridden  hard 
to  the  rescue  of  the  imperiled  train.     In  scouting  for  In- 
dians Capt.  Egan's  pack  mules  had  got  mired,  obliging  him 
to  return  to  his  post,  where  he  arrived  just  as  the  messen- 
ger boy  put   in  an  appearance,  so  that  no  time  was  lost  in 
going    to    the    relief    of  the  train,  and  moreover,  if  the 
wagon  axle  had  not  broken,  necessitating  a  halt  for  repairs, 
the    train    would    doubtless    have  marched  right    into  the 
deadly   embrace  of  hundreds  of  hostile  Sioux,  and   have 
been  nearly  if  not  totally  wiped  out  of  existence;  —  thus 
it  would  seem    that    those  two    mishaps    had    worked  to- 
gether for   the  safety  of  that  train.     A  fatalist  would  say, 


248 


THE     BLACK     HILLS;    OR, 


that  an  overruling  Providence  had  interfered  to  save  that 
brave  band  of  pioneers  from  utter  annihilation. 

The  following  morning,  the  train  once  more  started  for 
the  Hills,  this  time  under  military  escort,  Capt.  Egan  hav- 
ing consented  to  accompany  the  party  to  Custer,  which  was 
finally  reached  without  farther  trouble. 

On  nearing  Custer  the  train  was  met  by  nearly  the  entire 
male  population  of  the  city,  on  their  way  out  to  the  relief 
of  the  beleagured  freight  outfit,  rumors  of  the  dangers 
that  had  hedged  it  about  having  reached  the  city,  whose 
supplies,  by  the  way,  had  gotten  to  low-water  mark. 

As  the  story  goes,  there  was  a  big  pow-wow  and  dance 
in  the  pioneer  city  that  night,  in  celebration  of  the  narrow 
escape  of  the  185  gold-seekers,  where  "  all  went  merry  as 
a  marriage  bell." 

Tradition  says  that  after  the  ball  was  over,  there  was  a 
sort  of  spectacular  performance,  in  which  Doc  Peirce,  ably 
supported  by  Capt.  Gardner  and  Tom  Hooper,  —  the 
pioneer  legal  light  of  the  Black  Hills  —  enacted  the  leading- 
role.  Numerous  others  were  in  the  cast,  but  taking  minor 
parts.  It  is  said  "  there  was  a  hot  time  in  the  old  town 
that  nisht." 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS.  249' 


CHAPTER     XIX. 

MONTANA  EXPEDITIONS. 

The  great  gold-producing  State  of  Montana  yielded  a  gen- 
erous tribute  to  the  large  stream  of  gold-seekers  entering  the 
Black  Hills  in  1876,  furnishing  no  insignificant  proportion 
of  their  total  population.  It  has  been  estimated  that  nearly 
one-twelfth  of  the  population  of  the  Black  Hills  in  1876 
came  from  that  State,  which  is  believed  to  be  an  overesti- 
mate. Howbeit,  it  was  notable  that  a  liberal  percentage  of 
those  engaged  in  placer  mining  operations,  on  Deadwood 
and  tributary  gulches  during  that  year,  were  old  Montana 
miners. 

The  most  formidable  expedition,  perhaps,  in  point  of 
numbers  and  the  magnitude  of  its  equipments,  coming  to 
the  Black  Hills  in  1876,  was  organized  in  Montana. 

In  February,  1876,  a  movement  was  inaugurated  in 
Helena,  Montana,  having  for  its  object  the  organization  of 
the  first  expedition  from  that  State  to  the  Black  Hills. 
Notices  of  the  contemplated  expedition  were  published  in 
the  press,  and  also  posted  in  the  various  mining  camps 
throughout  the  State,  inviting  all  who  desired  to  join  such 
an  enterprise  to  rendezvous  at  a  designated  point  on  the 
Yellowstone,  by  a  stated  time,  for  organization.  For  a  few 
weeks  thereafter,  all  trails  led  the  Black  Hills  fever-infected 
Montanians  to  the  recruiting  point  on  the  Yellowstone, 
whither  the  leaders  had  preceded  them  for  the  purpose  of 
enrolling  members.  An  organization  was  soon  effected, 
when,  on  the  20th  day  of  March,  1876,  the  expedition  of 
100  pack  mules,  a  long  train  of  supply  wagons,  and  a  party 
of  over  200  men,  having  in  its  ranks  experienced  miners, 
thrifty  ranchmen,  and  skilled  mechanics,  each  animated  by 
the  ambition  and  determination  to  become  speedily  rich,  if 


250  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

riches  were  to  be  found  in  the  new  gold  region,  marched 
away  from  the  banks  of  the  Yellowstone  on  the  old  Boze- 
man  route  for  the  Bhick  Hills. 

As  they  marched  along  the  old  trail  they  passed  over  the 
historic  spot  where  nearly  ten  years  before  the  tragedy  of 
Fort  Phil  Kearney  was  enacted,  when  a  wood  train  with  a 
small  military  escort  was  surrounded  and  attacked  by  2,000 
Sioux,  Cheyenne,  and  Arapaho  Indians  almost  within  sight 
of  the  fort.  When  first  attacked  Col.  Fetterman,  com- 
mander at  the  fort,  in  answer  to  a  signal  from  a  neighbor- 
ing hill,  hastened  to  the  rescue  of  the  train  with  a  force  of 
nearly  100  soldiers,  including  officers,  every  one  of  whom 
after  a  hard  gallant  struggle  lasting  two  hours  was  lying 
dead  on  the  battle-ground,  —  not  a  white  man  was  left  to 
rehearse  the  awful  story.  The  wrecked  wagons  of  the  de- 
molished wood  train  were  yet  lying  in  a  confused  heap  at 
the  foot  of  a  hill  near  the  trail. 

The  expedition  continued  its  course  across  the  dry  fork 
of  the  Powder  river,  to  the  Belle  Fourche,  and  down  that 
stream  to  Bear  Lodge,  thence  across  the  country  to  Spear- 
fish  valley,  which  was  reached  May  20th,  1876.  The  ex- 
pedition had  two  encounters  with  the  Indians  in  the  Bear 
Lodge  mountains,  in  one  of  which  a  member  of  the  party 
named  Geo.  Miller  was  killed. 

Among  the  members  of  this  expedition  were  R.  H.  Evans, 
G.  H.  Jones,  Jas.  Ryan,  G.  W.  Read,  F.  R.  Cooper,  G. 
W.  Rosenbaum,  J.  E.  Cook,  Mike  Burton,  Hiram  Ross, 
and  J.  A.  Walton,  nearly  all  of  whom  settled  along  the 
broad  fertile  valley  of  the  Spearfish,  where  for  two  score 
years  they  have  demonstrated  the  wonderful  agricultural 
possibilities  of  the  valleys  of  the  Black  Hills.  Any  one 
traveling  down  the  valley  of  the  Spearfish  of  an  early 
summer's  day  will  now  be  confronted,  every  mile  of  the 
way,  by  a  scene  fair  indeed  to  look  upon.  Richly  culti- 
vated farms  —  they  cannot  now  be  called  ranches  —  for  the 
most  part  divided  and  fenced  into  fields  of  more  or  less 
acreage,  according  to  convenience   or  the  adaptability  of 


LAST    HUNTING    GUOUND    OV    THE    DAKOTAHS.  251 

the  soil  for  certain  crops,  some  of  them  covered  with  wav- 
ing grain,  fast  ripening  for  the  sickle,  with  here  and  there 
large  patches  of  the  tubers,  such  as  can  be  grown  nowhere 
in  the  world  outside  of  the  Black  Hills  ;  others  covered 
with  rich  pasturage,  dotted  over  with  fat,  sleek  kine,  com- 
modious farm  houses,  delightfully  embowered  amid  shade 
trees,  many  of  them  planted  by  the  hands  of  the  owners 
years  before;  with  luxuriant  vegetable  gardens  in  the 
background,  —  will  be  found  all  along  the  margin  of  the 
river  from  the  Queen  City  to  where  Spearfish  mingles  its 
■crystal  waters  with  the  red  soil  stained  waters  of  the  Red- 
water,  altogether  making  a  picture  of  thrift,  cosy  comfort, 
and  pastoral  beauty  that  is  deliciously  refreshing,  especi- 
ally to  a  denizen  of  the  mountains. 

On  the  26th  of  May,  1876,  this  enterprising  colony  of 
Montanians  took  the  first  step  towards  reclaiming  the  vir- 
gin soil  of  the  Spearfish  valley  from  the  hands  of  its  savage 
claimants  by  locating  and  staking  ranches.  Commencing 
at  a  point  a  little  more  than  a  mile  below  the  site  of  Spear- 
fish, locations  were  made  for  several  miles  down  the 
stream,  when  they  were  numbered  and  drawn  by  lot. 
Ranch  No.  1  fell  to  the  lot  of  R.  H.  Evans,  which  he  still 
owns,  and  where  he  still  lives.  On  this  ranch  Mr.  Evans 
built  the  first  log  cabin  of  the  colony,  where  he  spent 
his  two  years  of  bachelorhood  in  the  Black  Hills,  and 
it  was  to  that  log  cabin  of  one  room  that,  in  1878,  he 
brought  his  bride,  a  Miss  Pettigrew,  and  the  first  school- 
ma'am  of  Spearfish,  where  they  lived  until  an  increasing 
family  warned  them  to  provide  more  spacious  quarters. 
The  cabin  is  still  suffered  to  stand  near  its  present  com- 
modious home,  within  which  stands  the  first  stool  made  in 
the  valley  —  valued  relics  of  early  days.  Let  the  old  log 
cabin  stand.  Bolster  it  up  and  guard  it  well.  Let  no 
desecrating  hand  touch  a  single  log  or  chink  or  a  pole  of 
the  roof  that  sheltered  an  early  pioneer.  Let  no  jack- 
knife  fiend  whittle  a  single  chip  from  the  old  three-legged 
stool   that  served  him    as    a    chair.     At    about  the    same 


252  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

date  Joseph  Rarasdell  located  a  ranch  a  little  farther  up 
the  valley,  a  part  of  which  is  now  Rarasdell's  addition  to 
Spearfish.  Somewhat  later,  Otto  Uhlig  from  Deadwood,. 
located  the  ranch  that  is  now,  in  whole  or  in  part,  Uhlig's 
addition  to  the  city  of  many  additions.  J.  E.  Cook  and 
Mike  Burton  located  ranches  on  what  is  known  as  Centen- 
nial prairie,  where  they  soon  established  the  "  Montana 
herd,"  and  built  a  stockade  for  the  safe  keeping  of  the 
large  amount  of  stock  committed  to  their  charge,  —  a  pre- 
caution which,  despite  the  unremitting  vigilance  and 
bravery  of  the  proprietors,  did  not  always  prove  a  certain 
safeguard  against  the  red  horse-thieves,  as  will  be  shown 
farther  on. 

About  a  month  later,  a  second,  but  somewhat  smaller 
expedition  arrived  in  the  Hills  over  the  same  route,  from 
Montana. 

About  the  first  of  August,  1870,  another  expedition,, 
composed  in  part  of  Western  men,  and  in  part  of  tender- 
feet  from  different  sections  of  the  East,  reached  the  Black 
Hills  from  Bismarck.  Among  those  comprising  the  West- 
ern contingent  of  the  expedition,  were  Sol.  Star,  Seth 
Bullock,  and  John  Manning,  men  to  whom  the  exciting 
shifting  scenes  of  a  big  mining  camp  were  no  novelty, 
they  having  already  passed  through  the  trying  tenderfoot 
stage  of  Western  life  among  the  booming  mining  camps  of 
Montana.  They  had,  it  is  presumed,  a  few  years  before, 
foresworn  the  luxuries  and  comforts,  and  thrown  aside  the 
conventionalities,  of  Eastern  civilization,  and  followed  the 
guiding  Star  of  Empire  westward  until  it  stood  over  the 
buried  treasure  among  the  spurs  of  the  Big  Horn  Moun- 
tains, where  they  had,  doubtless,  experienced  some  of  the 
vicissitudes  and  encountered  some  of  the  dangers  incident 
to  a  frontier  life,  and  had  become  what  is  termed  Western- 
ized, in  all  that  the  term  implies.  Well,  let  us  see.  From 
the  standpoint  of  a  Western  pioneer  they  must  needs  have 
subsisted  for  several  consecutive  weeks  on  bacon,  beans, 
flapjacks,  and  black  coffee,  and  slept  at  least  a  month  on 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  253 

the  ground  floor  of  a  tent.  They  must  necessarily  have 
chased,  or  have  been  chased  by,  Indians  a  few  times,  and 
have  been  "  held  up"  by  road  agents  a  time  or  two,  to 
entitle  them  to  their  credentials  from  the  tenderfoot  grade 
of  Western  life. 

However,  having  spent  some  time  amid  the  fascinating 
excitement  of  a  gold-mining  camp,  they  were  unable  to 
withstand  the  alluring  reports  from  the  newly-discovered 
placer  mines  of  Dakota,  and  so  resolved  to  go  to  Dead- 
wood,  the  pole-star  of  attraction  in  1876.  An  arrange- 
ment of  their  affairs  being  completed,  they  with  a  party 
of  thirty-five  men,  left  Helena,  Montana,  for  Fort  Benton, 
the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Missouri  river,  where  they 
loaded  their  merchandise,  supplies,  and  other  equipments 
on  to  a  steamer,  took  passage,  and  sailed  down  the  river 
to  Fort  Lincoln.  On  reaching  Bismarck  they  joined  a 
large  party  of  gold-seeking  adventurers  from  the  East ; 
secured  transportation  on  a  freight  train  about  to  leave  for 
the  Hills,  and  took  up  their  line  of  march  overland  for  the 
Black  Hills. 

Belonging  to  the  party  from  the  East  were  J.  K.  P. 
Miller,  Jas.  McPherson,  and  Al.  Burnham,  names  familiar 
in  the  business  circles  of  Deadwood  for  many  years.  The 
two  first-named  gentlemen  could  not  be  termed  tenderfeet, 
as  they  had  spent  considerable  time  in  different  parts  of 
the  West.  Al.  Burnham,  on  the  contrary,  was  a  self-con- 
fessed, unfledged  tenderfoot,  having  never  before  been 
west  of  the  Father  of  Waters.  However,  he  was  one  day 
siezed  by  a  spirit  of  adventure,  and,  being  full  of  daring, 
he  resolved  to  cut  loose  from  the  trammels  and  narrow 
environments  of  the  matured  East,  and  enjoy  for  a  time 
the  freedom  and  breadth  of  the  vague  indefinite  West,  with 
its  dream  of  grand  possibilities. 

With  this  object  in  view,  one  bright  morning  in  the 
early  spring  of  1876  he,  with  grip-sack  in  hand,  left  his 
Eastern  home  in  Michigan  on  his  journey  to  the  region  of 
his  dreams,  the    mountains    of    the  boundless  West.     At 


254  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Yankton,  after  a  tedious  delay  of  a  whole  month,  awaiting 
the  clearing  of  the  channel  of  the  stream  from  ice,  he 
boarded  a  boat  and  sailed  up  the  river  to  Fort  Buford;  but 
went  no  farther  in  the  direction  of  the  setting  sun. 
Whether  the  Far  West  had  lost  its  glamor,  or  the  hostile 
attitude  of  the  Sioux  had  caused  him  to  cut  short  his  jour- 
ney in  that  direction,  or  whether  he  had  lost  his  reckon- 
ings, is  not  known.  At  any  rate  for  some  occult  reason,  he 
changed  his  mind  and  took  passage  on  the  next  boat  down 
the  river  for  Bismarck. 

It  would  appear  that  Mr.  Burnham  had  a  pretty  hard 
experience  on  his  overland  trip  to  the  Black  Hills.  He 
not  only  had  to  pay  a  good  round  price  for  the  transporta- 
tion of  his  belongings,  but  had  also  to  work  his  passage  all 
the  way  from  Bismarck  to  Deadwood  by  whacking  oxen  for 
the  transportation  trains.  It  is  told  that  the  master  of  that 
outfit,  in  addition  to  freight  charges,  at  first  demanded  ten 
dollars  per  capita  for  the  privilege  of  walking  along  beside 
the  train,  —  that,  however,  may  be  an  exaggerated  story» 
It  is  inferred  that  complete  harmony  and  the  utmost 
brotherly  love  were  not  distinguishing  features  of  the  over- 
land journey  of  that  expedition  to  the  Hills  —  that  is,  all 
did  not  pull  in  the  same  harness,  apparently. 

On  the  last  day  of  July,  John  Manning  and  a  few  others 
of  the  party  arrived  in  Deadwood,  having  pulled  out  from 
the  train  at  some  point  on  the  latter  part  of  the  route. 

On  the  first  day  of  August,  1876,  Sol.  Star,  Seth  Bul- 
lock, James  McPherson,  J.  K.  P.  Miller,  and  Al.  Burnham, 
reached  Deadwood  just  in  time  to  see  demonstrated  the 
kind  of  material  Deadwood  was  in  part  composed  of  in 
1876.  The  next  day  W^ild  Bill  was  assassinated  in  broad 
daylight. 

Continuing  the  business  copartnership  entered  into 
before  leaving  Helena,  Montana,  Star  &  Bullock  imme- 
diately secured  a  desirable  business  lot  on  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Wall  streets,  by  the  payment  of  $1,100  00  pur- 
chase money  and  proceeded  at  once  to  prepare  the  ground 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS.  255 

for  building.  A  commodious  building  was  soon  erected  on 
the  site,  in  which  the  company,  with  the  keen  foresight  of 
shrewd  business  men,  established  the  hardware  business 
along  its  various  lines  and  on  a  scale  commensurate 
with  the  demands  of  a  large  and  growing  mining  commu- 
nity. The  business  was  carried  on  in  this  building  until 
the  property  was  destroyed  by  the  great  fire  which  swept 
away  almost  the  entire  business  portion  of  the  young  city 
in  1879.  Nothing  daunted  by  their  disastrous  loss  the 
company  soon  rebuilt  a  larger  and  more  commodious 
structure  upon  the  a^hes  of  the  old,  with  the  addition  of 
a  large  fire-proof  building  of  brick,  and  re-established  the 
business  along  the  same  lines,  but  on  a  more  extended  scale 
than  before,  where  it  was  continued  until  removed  in  1895 
to  give  place  to  the  handsome  stone  structure,  the  Bullock 
Hotel,  now  occupying  the  site.  The  business  was  then 
removed  to  the  building  next  door  west  of  the  Bullock 
Hotel,  where  it  is  still  carried  on  by  the  later  members  of 
the  firm.  For  many  years  the  company  of  Star  &  Bullock 
has  stood  high  in  point  of  reliability  and  business  integrity 
among  the  leading  business  firms  of  Deadwood,  where,  as 
individual  members  of  society,  they  have  ever  been  wide 
awake  to  all  that  pertained  to  the  advancement  and  pros- 
perity of  their  adopted  city.  Individually  they  have  been 
honored  with  various  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility 
in  municipal  and  county  affairs,  during  their  long  continu- 
ous residence  in  the  Hills. 

Mr.  Star  has  the  honor  of  having  been  chosen  as  member 
of  the  council  of  the  first  city  organization  of  Deadwood  in 
the  fall  of  1876.  On  May  24th,  1879,  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  the  Deadwood  Post  Otfice  by  President  R. 
B.  Hayes.  In  1884  he  was  elected  to  the  mayoralty  of  the 
municipality  of  Deadwood,  and  re-elected  for  every  suc- 
cessive term  thereafter  until  1892  inclusive,  and  was  a^ain 
re-elected  in  1896  for  a  terra  of  two  years,  and  is  therefore 
now  at  the  head  of  Greater  Dead  wood's  city  government. 
Mr.  Star's  long,  almost  uninterrupted  service  in  the  inter- 


256  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

ests  of  Deadwood,  tells  more  eloquently  than  can  mere 
words  of  his  executive  ability;  his  skillful  management  of 
intricate  municipal  affiiirs;  his  exceeding  popularity,  and 
above  all  his  loyalty  and  devotion  to  the  best  interests  of 
the  city  at  the  head  of  whose  government  he  now  stands. 

Mr.  Bullock  enjoys  the  distinction  of  having  been  Law- 
rence County's  first  sheriff.  He  was  appointed  by  Gov. 
Pennington  to  the  shrievalty  of  the  newly  organized  county 
and  assumed  its  duties  at  a  critical  period  in  the  history  of 
the  great  mining  region  of  Deadwood,  where,  for  the 
major  part,  centered  the  population  of  Lawrence  County  in 
1877.  It  was  at  a  time  when  valuable  mining  and  other 
property  was  frequently  in  dispute,  and  whose  rightful 
owners  were  sometimes  dispossessed  and  kept  at  bay  at 
the  muzzle  of  a  shot-o;un  or  six-shooter:  at  a  time  when  all 
kinds  of  lawlessness,  horse-stealing,  cattle-rustling,  etc., 
were  rampant  in  the  valley  north  of  the  Hills,  and  hydra- 
headed  immorality  was  in  full  swing  in  the  highways  and 
by-ways  of  Deadwood ;  when  desperadoes  and  crooks  galore 
were  prowling  about  the  streets  in  sheep's  clothing,  seeking 
whom  they  might  devour.  Deadwood  albeit  was  no  worse 
than  all  other  large  new  mining  camps  where  outlaws  are 
wont  to  congregate. 

The  time  had  now  arrived  when  law  and  order  must  be 
evolved  out  of  all  this  seething  chaos  of  iniquity.  It  was  a 
pretty  difficult  as  well  as  perilous  problem  that  the  first 
sheriff  of  Lawrence  County  was  called  upon  to  grapple 
with.  However,  Mr.  Bullock  was  well  equipped  by 
experience  for  the  work  required  of  him,  he  having  served 
in  the  same  capacity  out  among  the  mining  camps  of 
Montana,  and  was  possessed  of  the  nerve  and  courage  to 
perform  his  sworn  duty  ;  no  connivance  at  wrong-doing,  or 
collusion  with  wrong-doers,  can  be  laid  at  his  door.  He 
would  ferret  out  and  follow  the  trail  of  a  criminal  with  all 
the  keenness  of  a  sleuth  on  the  track  of  a  deer,  but,  when 
once  in  his  custody,  he  was  equally  ready  to  uphold  the 
law,  in  protecting  his  prisoner  against  a  clamorous  mob, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THK    DAKOTAHS. 


257 


17 


258  THE    BLACK    HILLS ;    OR, 

seeking  to  mete  out  summary  punishment  to  the  law- 
breaker. It  is  the  universal  verdict  of  the  early  settlers 
that  to  Sheriff  Bullock  was  largely  due  the  comparative 
peace  and  security  prevailing  in  the  county  during  the  term 
of  his  appointment. 

John  Manning,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Bullock  as  sheriff  of 
Lawrence  County,  was  elected  by  the  popular  vote  of  the 
county  at  the  election  of  November,  1877,  for  a  term  of 
one  year,  and  was  re-elected  to  the  position  in  November, 
1878,  for  a  term  of  two  years.  The  conditions  confront- 
ing Sheriff  Manning  were  similar  to  those  existing  during 
the  incumbency  of  his  predecessor.  Lawlessness  had  not 
ceased  to  exist,  far  from  it,  consequently  the  duties  of 
sheriff  of  Lawrence  County  in  1878  were  by  no  means  a 
sinecure.  Arrests  requiring  plenty  of  pluck  and  nerve, 
and  sometimes  involving  great  personal  hazard,  were  of 
almost  daily  occurrence,  in  the  execution  of  which  duties 
Sheriff  Manning  was  never  known  to  show  the  "  white 
feather." 

The  extensive  litigation,  following  the  establishment  of 
regular  courts  in  the  Hills,  largely  increased  the  volume  of 
sheriff's  business  along  the  line  of  process  serving,  during 
Mr.  Manning's  terms  of  office,  making  the  position  one 
much  sought  after,  because  of  the  rapidly  accumulating 
fees.  That  Sheriff  Manning  performed  the  various  ardu- 
ous duties  of  his  office  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the 
majority  of  the  electors  of  Lawrence  County,  is  fully 
attested  by  his  re-election  for  a  second  term  of  two  years. 

J.  K.  P.  Miller  and  James  McPherson  will  be  remem- 
bered as  two  of  Deadwood's  most  prominent  business  men, 
for  many  years.  Soon  after  their  arrival  in  Deadwood, 
they  established  jointly  the  largest  wholesale  and  retail 
grocery  house  then  in  the  Black  Hills,  whose  business  ex- 
tended far  beyond  the  locality  of  the  city  and  the  adjacent 
mining  camps,  into  the  remote  towns  of  the  Hills.  In 
connection  with  this  business  they  opened,  late  in  the  fall 
of  1876,  the  second  banking  house  established  in  the  Black 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  259 

Hills  under  the  firm  name  of  Miller  &  McPberson.  The 
firm  stood  high  in  the  commercial  circles  of  Deadwood  and 
were  regarded  individually  as  two  of  its  foremost  and  most 
valued  citizens.  Mr.  Miller  was  the  head  and  front  of  the 
enterprise  for  building  the  little  stretch  of  steam  railway, 
now  running  hourly  between  Deadwood  and  Lead.  He 
carried  on  a  flourishing  trade  for  many  years,  or  until 
broken  health  compelled  him  to  throw  off  the  burden  and 
responsibilities  of  active  business  life,  and  seek  rest  and 
possible  restoration  to  health  in  other  climes.  Finally, 
however,  death  claimed  him  for  its  own. 

Al.  Burnham,  although  coming  to  the  Hills  a  tenderfoot, 
certainly  possessed  none  of  the  average  tenderfoot's  fatuity 
in  expecting  to  find  a  royal  road  to  wealth  by  picking  up 
golden  nuggets  along  his  pathway  in  the  Black  Hills.  Pre- 
eminently self-reliant  and  practical,  he  at  once  took  up  the 
pursuit  of  professional  architect  and  builder,  thus  compel- 
ling brawn  and  brain  to  solve  the  problem.  Doubtless 
many  of  the  finest  structures  which  grace  the  streets  of 
Deadwood  to-day  were  planned  and  fashioned  by  his  skill- 
ful hands.  During  his  twenty-one  years  of  residence  in 
the  Hills,  Mr.  Burnham  has  been  an  esteemed  and  loyal 
citizen  of  Deadwood. 

THE    CENTENNIAL    PARTY. 

The  party  bearing  the  above  distinguishing  title  was 
organized,  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the  gold  fields  of 
Dakota,  at  Ames,  Iowa,  in  January,  1876.  The  organiza- 
tion, consisting  of  only  fourteen  members,  comprised  the 
following  names:  John  Johnston,  Hugh  Johnston,  G.  W. 
Rogers,  agent  Chicago  &  N.  W.  Railway,  B.  A.  Little, 
R.  H.  Miller,  A.  Olson,  J.  M.  Moulton,  E.  P.  Cronen,  W. 
U.  Tel.  Co.,  W.  H.  LaRue,  N.  Nickson,  Lafayette  Evans, 
T.  Kinney,  W.  A.  Noland,  and  a  Mr.  Otto.  Nearly  all  were 
residents  of  Ames  and  vicinity,  none  others  being  eligible 
to  membership  according  to  the  regulations.  Of  the 
hundreds  of  applicants  for  membership  from  other  parts  of 


260  THE    BLACK   HILLS;    OK, 

the  State,  Dr.  Overman  alone  was  permitted  to  sign  his 
name  to  the  roster  of  the  party.  By  a  suspension  of  the 
rules,  against  the  admission  of  strangers  into  the  organi- 
zation,  Dr.  Overman  was  taken  into  the  exclusive  circle  on 
the  score  of  former  friendship.  However,  the  doctor 
failed  to  complete  his  arrangements  in  time  and  thus  did 
not  reach  the  Black  Hills  until  three  months  later.  John 
Johnston,  the  leading  spirit  of  the  enterprise,  was  dis- 
patched to  Chicago  for  supplies  and  equipments  for  the 
party;  preliminary  preparations  were  soon  made,  and  on 
the  1st  day  of  March,  1876,  the  Centennial  Party  of  four- 
teen men,  with  two  loaded  wagons,  left  their  comfortable 
homes,  in  the  midst  of  a  wild  March  storm  that  reached 
almost  the  magnitude  of  a  blizzard,  and  marched  away 
westward  through  Sioux  City  and  over  the  old  Elkhoru 
route  for  the  Black  Hills,  under  the  captaincy  of  John 
Johnston. 

Nothing  notable  occurred  on  the  journey  until  reaching 
O'Neill,  the  last  settlement  on  the  route,  where  they  decided 
to  rest  for  a  day,  one  of  the  party  being  sick.  While  in 
camp  at  O'Neill,  a  buckskin-clad  scout  rode  into  camp  with 
a  message  from  another  party  of  gold  adventurers,  asking 
them  to  delay  their  journey  a  day  longer,  or  until  the  other 
party  could  overtake  and  join  them,  which  was  ngreed  to. 
"  Buckskin,"  as  he  was  ever  after  called,  went  back  with  the 
message,  and  on  the  following  day  a  well-armed  and 
equipped  party  of  eighty-one  men  and  seventeen  teams 
joined  them.  Jack  Daly,  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Lead, 
was  one  of  the  new  part3^  "  Buckskin  "  attached  himself 
to,  and  was  afterwards  considered  one  of,  the  Centennial 
Party.  On  the  arrival  of  the  party  in  Custer  little  was  to 
be  found  of  an  encouraging  character;  scores  of  empty 
houses,  a  few  men  scattered  along  French  creek  prospect- 
ing, and  a  good  many  other  men  doing  nothing,  was  by  no 
means  inspiring  to  the  members  of  this  little  party,  who 
were  mostly  tenderfeet,  and  a  feeling  of  bitter  disappoint- 
ment began  to  creep  over  them  ;  in  short    they  began  to 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUM)    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  261 

wish  themselves  back  in  their  comfoitable  positions  in 
Araes,  Iowa.  The  sick  member  of  the  party  was  sent  back 
by  a  returning  freight  train,  and  the  thirteen  left  Custer 
for  Hill  City,  where  they  found  just  five  men  and  some 
more  empty  houses,  which  decided  them  to  go  no  further, 
as  they  had  already  seen  enough  of  the  Black  Hills  to 
satisfy  them  that  they  were  by  no  means  what  they  were 
reputed  to  be.  A  vote  was  taken  on  the  question  of  re- 
turning to  the  States,  which  resulted  in  twelve  to  one  in 
favor  of  going  back,  the  dissenting  vote  being  that  of  John 
Johnston,  whose  wishes  in  the  matter  could  not  be  alto- 
gether ignored,  as  he  was  the  largest  stockholder  in  the 
property  of  the  outfit.  After  discussing  the  question  into 
the  "  wee-sma'  "  hours  of  the  morning,  Mr.  Johnston 
finally  agreed  to  let  the  twelve  take  one  of  the  wagons  and 
enough  provisions  to  last  them  out,  and  he  would  take  the 
other  wagon  and  the  remainder  of  the  supplies,  and  con- 
tinue his  journey  to  the  north  of  the  Hills.  However, 
when  the  division  of  the  property  commenced,  five  of  the 
twelve  changed  their  minds,  and  joined  Mr.  Johnston  on 
his  trip  to  the  north,  the  other  seven  returning  to  the 
States. 

Of  course  there  is  perhaps  nothing  remarkable,  or  even 
unusual,  in  all  of  this.  It  is  notable,  however,  that  this 
Centennial  Party  gave  its  name  to  that  large  stretch  of 
country  around  the  headwaters  of  False  Bottom  creek, 
known  as  Centennial  Praiiie.  "  Buckskin  "  and  others 
while  out  on  the  prairie  cutting  hay,  one  day  in  eTuly,  1876, 
christened  it  "  Centennial  Prairie,"  in  compliment  to  the 
Centennial  Party,  a  name  which  has  clung  to  it  ever 
since,  and  will  continue  to  cling  to  it  for  a  long  time 
to  come.  To  a  member  of  the  Centennial  Party,  John 
Johnston,  also  belongs  the  distinction  of  having::  estab- 
lished  in  connection  with  Capt.  Gardner,  the  first  news- 
paper published  in  Spearfish  City,  compelling  its  success 
under  conditions  which  would  make  the  average  journalist 
hesitate.     It  is  notable  too  that  a  member  of  this  Centennial 


262  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Party  (Mr.  Johnston)  was  among  the  first  to  settle  at  the 
head  of  the  Spearfish  valley  in  1876,  and  who,  ever  since 
the  founding  of  the  Queen  City  of  the  Hills,  has  been 
intimately  identified  with  every  movement  looking  to  its 
growth  and  prosperity.  Mr.  Johnston  has  also  been  a  real 
force  in  the  promotion  of  numerous  mining  enterprises, 
having  spent  time  and  money  with  a  lavish  hand  in  the 
development  of  various  raining  properties  throughout  the 
northern  Hills  during  the  past  twenty  years. 

OUTWARD    BOUND    PILGRIMS. 

While  this  continuous  stream  of  emisjration  was  making 
its  way  over  the  hostile  plains  from  the  North,  South,  East, 
and  West,  in  the  spring  of  1876,  many  of  those  who  had 
entered  during  the  previous  fall  and  winter,  finding  them- 
selves stranded  in  Custer  in  the  spring  without  a  dollar  in 
their  pockets,  and  no  faith  in  the  country,  and  their  little 
stock  of  "  grub  "  which  they  had  been  economically  eking 
out  through  the  winter  diminished  to  nearly  the  last  pot  of 
beans  and  the  last  slice  of  bacon,  disappointed,  disheartened 
and  disgusted,  went  .out  of  the  Hills  any  way  to  get  out, 
figuratively  shaking  the  dust  of  the  Black  Hills  off  their 
feet  (not  gold  dust)  in  testimony  against  them,  and  many 
of  them  hurling  back  bitter  anathemas  as  they  went. 
Tenderfeet  they  were,  for  the  most  part,  who,  lured  by 
the  golden  reports  and  buoyed  with  hope,  had  left  com- 
fortable homes,  innocently  believing  that  the  coveted 
treasure  was  to  be  picked  up  along  the  wayside  by  the 
handfuls.  Failing  to  realize  their  expectations  they  de- 
nounced the  glowing  reports  sent  out  broadcast  over  the 
land  as  a  delusion  and  a  snare.  Ah,  the  poor  fellows  had 
yet  to  learn  a  lesson  —  the  lesson  which  teaches  that  it  is 
only  by  months,  yea,  sometimes  years,  of  hard,  unceasing 
toil,  under  crushing  discouragements  and  disappointments, 
that  even  the  few  of  those  who  dig  for  gold  realize  their 
dreams.     Yes,  those  outward-bound  pilgrims   were  mostly 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


263 


tenderfeet,  and  as  many  of  them  with  badly  worn  shoes, 
some  nearly  barefoot,  had  to  walk  out,  it  is  easy  to  believe 
that  their  feet  were  painfully  tender  ere  reaching  their 
homes  ;  that  some  of  them  never  reached  their  destination 
is  well  known. 


264  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XX. 

CHAPTER  OF  FIRST  EVENTS. 

The  first  town-site  laid  out  and  platted  in  the  Black  Hills 
was  Harney  City.  The  site  for  the  prospective  Harney 
City —  the  city  of  such  wonderful  future  possibilities  (  ?)  — 
was  regularly  surveyed  and  platted  in  March,  1875,  in  the 
valley  of  French  creek,  near  the  stockade. 

The  work  of  laying  out  the  site  into  streets  and  blocks 
was  done  by  Lyman  Lamb,  Thos.  H.  Russell,  and  other 
members  of  the  partes  it  being  accomplished  by  the  use  of 
a  small  pocket  compass  and  a  picket  rope.  Harney  City, 
however,  was  but  a  dream  of  its  founders,  as  it  never  ma- 
terialized beyond  a  few  foundations  on  the  most  desirable 
corner  lots. 

The  first  miners'  meeting  ever  held  in  the  Black  Hills, 
met  on  French  creek,  a  short  distance  above  the  present 
site  of  Custer  City,  on  or  about  the  17th  day  of  June, 
1875.  There  were  sixteen  persons  present  at  the  meeting, 
among  whom  were  A.  D.  Trask,  now  of  Pactola,  Joseph 
Reynolds,  and  Jas.  Corneile.  A  mining  district  was  organ- 
ized, of  which  A.  D.  Trask  was  chosen  recorder. 

Custer  is  entitled  to  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 
town  built  in  the  Black.  Hills.  It  was  laid  out  and  platted 
on  the  lOlh  of  August,  1875;  the  work  of  surveying  being 
done  by  Thos.  Hooper,  aided  by  a  detachment  of  United 
States  soldiers  of  Major  Pollock's  command,  the  inevitable 
pocket  compass  and  picket  rope  being  used  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  first  plat  of  the  pioneer  city  was  made  by 
Thos.  Hooper  on  a  piece  of  birch  bark  12x12  inches  square, 
as  before  stated. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  265 

The  first  ton  of  gold-beariog  quartz  taken  out  of  the  Black 
Hills  for  treatment,  was  mined  and  transported  to  Chey- 
enne, Wyoming,  by  Joseph  Reynolds,  in  August,  1875. 
The  ore  was  mined  from  a  ledge  about  three  and  one-half 
miles  above  Custer  City.  It  was  freighted  out  to  Chey- 
enne where  it  was  sampled  and  shipped  to  Georgetown, 
Colorado,  for  treatment;  the  test  from  best  samples  re- 
sulting in  seventeen  dollars  in  gold  per  ton  of  quartz. 

The  first  buildingr  erected  in  the  Black  Hills — barring 
the  seven  log  cabins  within  the  walls-  of  the  stockade  — 
was  put  in  course  of  construction  by  Dr.  D.  M.  Flick. 
The  building  was  a  substantial  hewn-log  structure,  designed 
as  a  home  for  his  family  whenever  the  way  was  made  clear. 
When  this  pioneer  building  neared  completion  the  doctor 
consented  to  leave  the  Hills  with  the  exodus  of  miners,  in 
obedience  to  the  order  of  Gen.  Crook  in  August  of  that  year. 

Soon  thereafter  the  building  was  completed  by  Capt^ 
Pollock  and  occupied  by  him  as  military  headquarters  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  his  stay  in  the  Hills. 

After  the  withdrawal  of  the  military  forces  from  the 
Hills,  Capt.  Jack  Crawford,  the  poet-scout,  took  possession 
of  and  occupied  the  building  undisturbed  until  one  bright 
morning,  about  the  middle  of  April,  1876,  when  Dr.  Flick 
drove  up  to  the  door  of  his  residence  with  his  family  and 
household  goods,  to  find  it  appropriated  by  somebody  who 
was  absent  at  the  time  —  the  doctor  didn't  know,  and  didn't 
care  a  continental  who.  In  nowise  daunted  by  the  unfavor- 
able aspect  of  the  situation,  he  unloaded  his  goods,  took 
formal  possession  of  the  building,  and  awaited  develop- 
ments. It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  doctor  made  himself 
quite  generally  at  home,  Mrs.  Flick  meanwhile  making 
active  preparations  for  dinner. 

Just  as  the  family  was  seated  at  the  table  enjoying  their 
noonday  meal  under  their  own  vine  and  fig  tree,  Capt.  Jack, 
with  his  friend,  Attorney  T.  Harvey,  appeared  at  the  door 
and  entered  unbidden  —  doubtless  greatly  surprised  to  find 


266  THE    BLACK,  HILLS:    OR, 

what  he  regarded  as  a  base  usurper  comfortably  domiciled 
ia  his  snug  quarters.  The  captaiu,  of  course,  demanded 
an  explanation,  as  well  as  an  unconditional  surrender  of  the 
premises,  and  asked,  sternly:  "  Sir,  by  what  right,  and  by 
whose  authority  are  you  here?"  The  doctor  replied,  de- 
fiantly :  "  By  right  of  ownership,  and  by  ray  own  author- 
ity, sir.  I  need  none  other.  That  is  good  enough  for  me." 
Capt.  Jack,  naturally  feeling  that  his  most  sacred  rights 
had  been  ruthlessly  invaded,  ordered  the  doctor  to 
"vamoose  the  ranch"  instanter  and  take  all  his  belong- 
ings with  him,  or  take  the  consequences.  Whereupon  the 
doctor,  fully  conscious  of  the  righteousness  of  his  position, 
quickly  reached  for  his  trusty  Sharp's  rifle,  which  stood 
conveniently  at  hand,  swiftly  leveled  it  at  the  "  poet- 
scout,"  and  indicating  the  door,  told  him  to  go.  The 
captain,  though  brave  and  fearless,  having  faced  many 
deadly  perils  in  his  lifetime,  deeming  "  discretion  the  bet- 
ter part  of  valor,"  wisely  withdrew,  to  appear  again  in 
another  attitude. 

These  conflicting  claims  resulted  in  the 

SECOND    SUIT    IN    EQUITY  IN   THE    BLACK    HILLS. 

Attorney  Tom  Harvey,  in  behalf  of  his  client,  Capt.  Jack 
Crawford,  at  once  brought  action  against  D.  W.  Flick  for 
forcible  entry  and  detainer  (probably),  and  in  due  lapse  of 
time  the  case  was  called  up  for  hearing  before  Provisional- 
Justice  Keifer,  and  a  jury  of  five  miners,  good  and  true. 
Upon  the  hearing  of  the  evidence  pro  and  con,  Attorney 
Harvey,  in  closing  for  the  prosecution,  briefly  summed  his 
case,  in  clear,  forcible,  and  convincing  language  —  basing 
his  arguments,  we  may  presume,  upon  two  important 
points.  First,  that  inasmuch  as  every  square  foot  of  terri- 
tory, as  well  as  every  stick  of  timber,  cut  from  the  trees 
growing  in  the  valley,  or  along  the  mountain  slopes  of  the 
Black  Hills,  belonged  by  virtue  of  a  solemn  treaty  to  the 
Indians,  no  title  was  or  could  be  vested  in  the  defendant. 

Second,  that  the  building,  as  proven  by  competent  wit- 


DR.    D.    W.    FLICK, 

The  builder  of  the  first  cabin  erected  in  the  Blaclj  Hills  in  1875. 


LAST    HUNTING   GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  267 

nesses,  had  been  abandoned  by  the  defendant,  and  was  at 
the  time  of  forcible  entry  in  the  rightful  and  peaceable 
possession  of  his  client,  therefore,  in  the  absence  of  title, 
and  by  virtue  of  such  possession  which  —  he  reminded  the 
jury  —  was,  in  all  civilized  communities,  considered  nine 
points  of  the  law,  but  in  the  Black  Hills  was  at  least  ten 
points,  or  the  whole  law,  he  asked  that  a  verdict  be  ren- 
dered in  favor  of  his  client,  Capt.  Jack  Crawford,  placing 
him  in  repossession  of  the  disputed  premises.  Here  the 
prosecution  rested. 

In  answer,  the  defendant  in  his  own  behalf,  rising  to  the 
full  necessity  of  the  occasion,  said,  with  cutting  sarcasm, 
that  he  was  as  fully  cognizant  of  the  impossibility  of 
acquiring  valid  title  to  property  in  the  Black  Hills,  as  the 
distinguished  counsel  for  the  prosecution,  and  therefore 
admitted  that  point,  and  did  not  deny  the  claim  to  posses- 
sion, but  that  he  claimed  a  title  far  beyond  and  above  all 
civil  law  —  an  equitable  claim,  under  which  every  man  on 
God's  footstool  has  the  divine  right  to  reap  the  fruits  of 
his  own  honest  labor. 

The  doctor  waxed  eloquent.  He  told  the  jury  in  telling 
words,  and  beautifully  rounded  periods,  of  how  he  had 
procured  the  timber  from  the  virgin  forests  that  adorned 
the  hillsides  hard  by,  and  had  them  hauled  to  the  ground 
selected  for  a  home  for  his  family,  where  they  were  hewn, 
fashioned  and  fitted  in  their  respective  places  in  the 
structure  —  all  of  which  was  paid  for  —  in  part  by  the 
sweat  of  his  own  brow,  but  mostly  in  the  true  "  coin  of  the 
realm" — good  lawful  money  of  Uncle  Sam.  He  told 
also,  of  how,  when  the  fabric  was  on  the  verge  of  comple- 
tion, he  went  out  of  the  Hills  —  like  a  true  patriot,  under 
military  escort,  with  the  full  determination  of  returning  at 
the  first  favorable  opportunity.  In  his  closing  peroration, 
it  is  easy  to  imagine  that  the  doctor  told  the  jury  that  he 
proposed  to  defend  his  rights  at  all  times,  and  would  allow 
no  long-haired,  buckskin-clad  scout  —  poet  though  he  be  — 
or  any  other  man,  to  defraud  him  thereof. 


268  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

It  is  needless  to  state  that  the  jury  of  honest  miners, 
who  are  ever  on  the  side  of  justice  and  right,  rendered  a 
verdict  for  the  defendant,  D.  W.  Flicii.  Thus  ended  the 
second  h\wsuit  (suit  in  common  law)  ever  tried  in  the 
Black  Hills. 

We  are  here  reminded  of  a  number  of  similar  disputes 
over  property  in  the  Black  Hills,  which,  had  they  been 
submitted  to  the  arbitration  of  a  few  disinterested  parties, 
would  not  have  resulted,  as  was  sometimes  the  case,  in 
bloodshed  and  even  death. 

FIRST    PERSON    KILLED     IN    THE    BLACK    HILLS. 

The  first  person  killed  in  the  Black  Hills  after  their  inva- 
sion by  the  first  expedition  was,  probably,  a  man  named 
Kiese,  in  July,  1875.  The  -particulars  of  the  affair,  as  far 
as  can  be  ascertained,  are,  substantially,  as  follows  :  Some 
time  in  July,  1875,  a  party  of  about  forty  men,  including 
J.  J.  Williams,  a  member  of  the  Collins  and  Russell  ex- 
pedition, was  encamped  near  the  Jenny  stockade.  While 
in  camp,  Kiese  and  a  man  named  Jackson  left  the  camp  to- 
gether for  French  creek.  After  a  short  absence  Jackson 
returned  alone,  claiming  that  they  had  been  attacked  by  a 
band  of  Indians,  when  a  few  miles  out  from  camp,  and 
Kiese  killed  as  well  as  the  mule  he  rode.  The  story 
not  seeming  altogether  probable,  was  not  believed  by  many 
of  the  party.  Jackson  soon  after  disappeared  from  camp 
and  was  no  more  seen  or  heard  from.  A  month  later,  per- 
haps, the  body  of  Kiese  was  found  covered  with  brush,  in 
a  ravine,  not  far  from  the  Jenny  stockade  and  Jackson 
was  strongly  suspected  of  having  killed  him  for  a  consid- 
erable sum  of  money  that  he  was  known  to  have  had  in  his 
possession.  Be  that  as  it  may,  he  was  certainly  killed  and 
his  body  found. 

The  first  hotel  in  the  Black  Hills  was  built  in  Custer  in 
February,  1876,  by  a  man  named  Druggeman.  The  same 
man  also  purchased  the  first  town  lot  ever  sold  in  the  Black 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    TFIK    DAKOTAHS.  269 

Hills,  the  purchase  being  made  of  one  Jacobs  in  February, 
187(3. 

The  first  saw  mill  in  the  Black  Hills  was  brought  to 
Custer  and  operated  l)y  J.  F.  Murphy  in  February,  1876. 

In  February,  1876,  the  first  store  of  general  merchandise 
in  the  Black  Hills,  located  in  Custer  on  the  south  side  of 
Custer  avenue,  between  5th  and  6th  streets,  was  opened  and 
kept  by  Jas.  Roberts,  who,  it  is  said,  died  in  Deadwood 
about  the  year  1890. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  the  Black  Hills  was  Alvena, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chas.  Sasse,  now  of  Deadwood. 
Little  Alvena  first  opened  her  wondering,  though  unap- 
preciative  eyes,  on  the  marvelous  beauty  of  Custer  Park, 
and  expanded  her  small  lungs  with  the  pure  bracing  air, 
laden  with  the  grateful  aroma  of  the  pines  that  clothe  the 
rugged  slopes,  surrounding  the  park  in  which  nestles  the 
city  of  her  birth,  on  the  11th  of  May,  1876.  Her  life, 
however,  was  but  a  brief  span,  she  was  hiter  taken  to 
Deadwood,  where,  in  the  following  November,  she  died. 
Alvena,  the  pioneer  baby  of  the  Black  Hills,  now  lies  bur- 
ied beneath  the  reckless  tread  of  many  busy  feet,  some- 
where on  the  old  cemetery  hill,  back  of  the  Fourth  Ward 
school  building  of  Deadwood. 

The  first  newspaper  established  in  the  Black  Hills,  called 
the  Black  Hills  Weekly  Pioneer,  was  published  by  W.  A. 
Laugh lin  and  A.  W.  Merrick,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Laughlin  &  Merrick,  early  in  1876.  The  proprietors  of 
this  important  pioneer  enterprise,  with  a  faith  and  courage 
almost  sublime,  transported  from  Denver,  Colorado,  to  the 
Black  Hills,  a  distance  of  400  miles,  — in  depth  of  winter, 
a  fully-equipped  printing  outfit,  consisting  of  a  press,  a 
complete  selection  of  type,  and  all  the  necessary  material  for 
the  publication  of  a  daily  paper  and  job  office. 

The  first  half  sheet  of  the  Black  Hills  Pioneer  was  printed 


270  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

ill  Custer  in  May,  187G,  but  after  one  issue,  the  publishers 
reloaded  their  press  and  other  printing  equipments,  and 
went  with  the  flood-tide  to  Deadwood,  where  it  was  per- 
manently established  as  a  weekly  publication,  —  the  initial 
number,  consisting  of  a  half  sheet,  appearing  on  June  8th, 
1876.  The  first  number,  which  was  run  through  the  press 
by  Joseph  Kubler,  now  of  the  Custer  Chronicle,  was  struck 
off  under  inauspicious  conditions  and  circumstances,  in- 
deed, the  work  being  done  in  an  unfinished  cabin,  which 
afforded  but  scant  protection  from  the  untoward  elements. 
However,  the  venture  at  once  proved  a  great  financial  suc- 
cess,—  a  veritable  bonanza.  The  paper  was  in  great  de- 
mand, thousands  of  copies  being  sold  every  week  at 
twenty-five  cents  each,  many  of  which  found  their  way  to 
the  outer  newspaper  world,  where  excerpts  from  its  columns 
were  freely  copied. 

The  Black  Hills  Weekly  Pioneer  was  a  wide-awake, 
newsy  sheet  in  1876,  and  made  its  influence  felt  far  and 
wide.  Not  only  did  it  contain  information  of  the  rich 
placer  and  quartz  discoveries  and  other  current  news  of  the 
great  mining  camp,  but  also  discussions  of  many  of  the 
important  public  questions  of  the  day,  especially  those 
directly  affecting  the  people  of  the  Black  Hills. 

It  is  now  recalled  that  the  Indian  problem,  —  in  connec- 
tion with  the  United  States  government,  was  roundly 
abused  for  its  seeming  dereliction  in  duty  to  the  outlawed 
people  of  the  Black  Hills ;  the  territorial  question,  the 
question  of  county  organization,  —  in  which  the  head  of 
the  territorial  government  of  the  Dakotas  was  handled  with- 
out gloves,  for  not  doing  what  he  really  had  no  power  to 
do,  received  special  consideration.  The  people  of  the 
Black  Hills  believed  in  the  full  and  unrestrained  liberty  of 
the  press  in  1876. 

The  brainy  young  R.  B.  Hughes —  familiarly  called  Dick 
Hughes,  was  one  of  the  first  compositors  on  the  pioneer 
newspapers,  and  it  is  alleged  that  the  way  he  manipulated 
the    type    exceeded    all    subsequent    records  in  the  Black 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  271 

Hills.  He  was  also  local  reporter  for  the  paper,  and  is  said 
to  be  practically  the  first  newspaper  reporter  in  the  Black 
Hills.  From  this  Mr.  Hughes  drifted  into  journalism,  and 
in  1878  became  connected  with  the  Rapid  City  JournaU  as 
one  of  its  editorial  staff,  where  he  demonstrated  that  he 
was  a  clear-cut  thinker  as  well  as  a  polished  writer.  Dick 
is  now  United  States  Surveyor-General  for  South  Dakota. 

Of  the  brilliant  coterie  of  writers  who  catered  to  the 
Black  Hills  reading  public  in  1876,  the  large-hearted,  open- 
handed  Capt.  C.  V.  Gardner  alone  remains  in  the  Black 
Hills  to-day.  Dr.  C.  W.  Myers,  Geo.  Stokes,  Jack 
Langrishe,  and  Jack  Crawford  (an  occasional  contributor 
to  the  department  of  poetry),  having  years  since  left  the 
Hills  for  other  fields.  Dr.  Myers,  a  one-time  territorial  dele- 
gate, than  whom  few  wielded  a  readier  pen,  is  reported  dead. 

Owing  to  ill  health,  W.  A.  Laughlin  soon  severed  his 
connection  with  the  Pioneer,  disposing  of  his  interest  in 
the  concern  to  C.  V.  Gardner.  Mr.  Gardner,  whose  capi- 
tal and  talents  gave  additional  life  to  the  enterprise,  made 
his  first  literary  bow  to  the  newspaper  readers  of  the  Black 
Hills  on  July  1st,  1876,  continuing  his  connection  with  the 
paper  for  a  period  of  about  six  months,  when  it  was  left  to 
the  sole  management  of  A.  W.  Merrick. 

From  the  date  of  its  establishment  as  a  daily  paper  on 
May  15th,  1877,  the  Pioneer  had  a  wonderfully  checkered 
history.  It  had  its  ins  and  outs,  its  fluctuating  periods  of 
prosperity  and  adversity  —  like  nearly  all  newspaper  enter- 
prises, dependent  upon  a  shifting  community  for  their 
patronage.  Having  from  that  time  to  share  the  profits  of 
the  newspaper  field  with  another  daily  paper,  the  Dead- 
wood  Times,  the  question  of  dollars  and  cents  resolved 
itself  into  a  serious  problem,  for  what  with  the  compe- 
tition and  the  largely-increased  expenditures  of  conducting 
a  daily  paper,  it  was  finally  found  that  in  reckoning  up  the 
monthly  accounts,  pro  and  con,  the  balances  began  to 
show  —  as  figures  sometimes  have  the  disagreeable  habit  of 
doing,  —  on  the  wrong  side    of  the  ledger.     Competition 


272  TUE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

may  be  the  life  of  trade,  but  it  is  financial  death  to  one  or 
the  other,  if  not  both  of  the  competitors,  in  a  newspaper 
business  in  a  narrow  field. 

The  management  of  the  Pioneer,  during  its  twenty  years 
of  existence,  as  a  daily  paper,  changed,  financially,  editor- 
ially or  otherwise,  as  many  as  fifteen  times,  as  will  appear 
from  the  appended  record. 

In  1877  A.  W.  Merrick  appears  to  be  handling  the  craft 
alone.  In  1878  we  find  R.  O.  Adams  at  the  helm,  the 
subsequent  changes  occurring  in  the  following  order:  In 
1879  Merrick  &  Adams;  in  1880  R.  O.  Adams;  in  1880 
R.  D,  Kelly  (two  weeks);  in  1881  Vanocker  &  Merrick; 
in  1885  Frank  Vanocker;  in  1882  G.  G.  Bennett  (six 
months);  in  1883  A.  W.  Merrick;  in  1884  Edwards, 
Pinneo  Bros.  &  Merrick;  in  1884  Edwards  &  Pinneo ;  in 
1885-(3  Bonham,  Maskey  &  Moody;  in  1886  \V.  H.  &  F. 
M.  Bonham;  in  188(5-7  Bonham  &  Kelly;  from  1887  to 
1897  the  Pioneer  Publishing  Company,  under  the  man- 
agement of  W,  H.  Bonham.  On  December  1st,  1887, 
the  name  Bhick  Hills  Pioneer,  was  changed  to  Dead  wood 
Pioneer. 

On  May  15th,  1897,  the  Deadwood  Daily  Pioneer  and 
the  Deadwood  Daily  Times  were  merged  into  one  daily 
paper,  under  the  proprietorship  of  the  Pioneer-Times  Pub- 
lishing Company,  and  the  editorial  and  business  manage- 
ment of  Porter  Warner,  and  W.  H.  Bonham,  respectively. 

When  W.  H.  Bonham  became  connected  with  the  man- 
agement of  the  Pioneer  in  1885,  it  was  found  to  be  heavily 
incumbered  with  debt,  but,  although  having  a  cash  capital 
of  only  $190  to  invest  in  the  concern,  he  succeeded  by  wise 
economy  and  skillful  business  management,  in  rescuing  the 
paper  from  the  financial  quicksands  into  which  it  was  rap- 
idly sinking,  and  placing  it  on  solid  ground,  so  that  when 
it  went  into  the  hands  of  the  Pioneer  Publislii ng  Company, 
in  1887,  it  was  practically  free  from  debt. 

The  foregoing  record  makes  it  very  plain,  so  plain  that 
those  who   run    may    read,   that  A.  W.  Merrick    made    a 


A.    W.    MEP.RICK. 


Publisher  of  the  first  newspaper  in  the  Blacli  Hills,  established 
in  Deaclwood,  June  8th,  187G. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  273 

noble  and  gallant  struggle  to  prolong  the  life  of  the  first 
newspaper  of  the  Black  Hills. 

The  first  daily  newspaper  published  in  the  Black  Hills 
was  established  in  Deadwood  by  Porter  Warner  in  the 
early  spring  of  1876, 

Mr.  Warner  arrived  in  Deadwood  froui  Denver,  Colo., 
with  a  complete  press,  well  equipped  with  the  needed  fa- 
cilities and  ample  material  for  the  publication  of  a  daily 
paper,  during  the  month  of  March,  1877.  He  first  rented 
the  upper  story  of  the  then  newly  erected  bank  building  of 
Stebbins,  Wood  &  Post,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Main 
and  Lee  streets,  where,  on  the  7th  day  of  April,  1877,  the 
first  number  of  the  Deadwood  Daily  Times  was  issued. 
The  paper  was  ably  and  successfully  conducted,  under  the 
sole  management  and  proprietorship  of  its  founder,  Porter 
Warner,  until  May  15th,  1897,  when  it  consolidated  with  the 
Deadwood  Pioneer,  under  the  title  of  The  Pioneer  Times. 

The  Deadwood  Daily  Times  is  also  credited  with  the 
distinction  of  having  been  the  second  daily  paper  published 
in  Dakota  Territory. 

The  first  case  ever  coming  up  for  adjudication  before  a 
Black  Hills  tribunal  of  any  kind,  was  tried  by  Justice  of 
the  Peace  Smith  of  Custer,  in  February,  1876.  The  cause 
of  action  originated  in  a  dispute  between  Wm.  Coad  and  a 
man  named  Swartout,  as  to  the  rightful  ownership  of  a 
town  lot  in  Custer  City.  Thos.  H.  Harvey  appeared  for 
Swartout  and  Thos.  Hooper  for  Coad.  Thus  it  will  be 
seen  that  Thos.  H,  Harvey  and  Thos.  Hooper  were  the  first 
to  practice  the  profession  of  law  in  the  Black  Hills. 

The  first  authenticated  case  of  murder  in  the  Black  Hills 
was  the  killing  of  Boueyer,  a  half-breed  Sioux,  b}'  an 
all-round  desperado  named  C.  C.  Clayton,  in  March,  1876. 
When  learning  of  the  affair,  a  large  number  of  the  friends 
of  the  murdered  man  appeared  in  Custer,  to  see  that  even- 
handed  justice  be  meted  out  to  the  slayer  of  their  red  brother. 

16 


274  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Clayton  was  promptly  arrested  and  tried  by  a  jury,  before 
Police  Justice  Keifer,  of  Custer,  and  found  guilty  of  mur- 
der in  the  first  degree,  with  a  penalty  of  death,  by  hanging, 
affixed  to  the  verdict. 

When  the  prisoner  was  arraigned  to  receive  his  sentence, 
and  just  as  counsel  for  the  defense  was  laying  down  the 
law  to  the  judge,  on  the  illegality  of  such  procedure  on  the 
part  of  a  provisional  court,  a  sensational  scene  occurred  in 
the  court  room.  A  large  party  of  the  murderer's  sym- 
pathizers, armed  to  the  teeth,  arrived  from  Deadwood,  and 
filed  into  the  little  court  room,  and  there  stood,  grim  and 
determined,  awaiting  the  decision  of  the  court,  prepared 
to  rescue  the  prisoner  in  case  his  life  was  placed  in  jeopardy. 
At  this  juncture  Attorney  Harvey  demanded  the  release  of 
the  prisoner  on  the  grounds  aforementioned,  and  the 
judge,  concluding  that  he  had  no  option  in  the  matter, 
turned  him  over  into  the  hands  of  the  citizens  of  the  town, 
who,  it  is  needless  to  state,  escorted  him  to  the  limits 
thereof  and  turned  him  loose,  with  a  solemn  warning  not  to 
show  himself  again  within  the  limits  of  the  Black  Hills. 

The  pioneer  banking  institution  of  the  Black  Hills,  — 
called  the  Miner's  &  Mechanic's  Bank,  was  established  in 
Deadwood  in  the  summer  of  1876,  by  J.  M.  Woods,  now 
of  Rapid  City.  The  vault  for  the  safe-keeping  of  the  capi- 
tal stock,  surplus,  deposits,  undivided  profits,  etc.,  of  the 
Miner's  &  Mechanic's  Bank  consisted  of  an  ordinary  iron 
safe,  which  was  kept  in  a  frame  building,  on  the  east  side 
of  Main  street,  occupied  at  the  time  by  the  store  of  Bough- 
ton  &  Berry.  The  principal  transactions  of  this  pioneer 
institution  consisted  in  buying  and  selling  gold  dust  and 
shipping  same  per  account  of  its  owners,  making  collec- 
tions, etc.  It  is  believed  that  J.  M.  Woods  was  its  presi- 
dent, board  of  directors,  and  chief  stockholder,  as  well  as 
its  cashier,  teller,  and  clerk.  That  the  enterprising  firm 
coined  money  during  those  palmy  days,  when  gold  dust 
was  lavishly  squandered,  goes  without  saying. 


rORTEU    WARNEU, 

Publisher  of  the  first  daily  newspaper  in  the  Black  Hills, 
established  April  7th,  1877. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  275 

J.  M.  Woods  also  opened  the  first  harness  and  saddlery 
shop  in  the  Black  Hills,  during  the  same  summer,  on  the 
east  side  of  Main  street  below  Wall  street. 

The  first  religious  service  ever  held  in  the  Black  Hills 
was  conducted  in  Custer  by  Rev.  H.  W.  Smith,  the  mar- 
tyred Black  Hills  missionary,  on  May  7th,  1876.  This 
first  service  was  held  in  a  small  log  cabin  without  fioor, 
on  Custei'  avenue,  owned  by  Joseph  T.  Reynolds,  and  at 
the  time  occupied  by  Mr.  Clippinger.  After  a  short  stay 
in  Custer,  Rev.  Smith,  feeling  that  duty  called  him  to  a 
broader  field  for  Christian  effort,  left  the  comparatively 
moral  atmosphere  of  the  pioneer  city  for  Deadwood,  where 
he  arrived  on  or  about  the  25th  of  May,  1876,  when  he  at 
once  began  to  do  battle  for  the  right.  He  opened  and 
conducted  a  series  of  outdoor  eveninij  meetinss  in  Dead- 
wood,  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Gold  streets  —  using  a 
dry-goods,  or  some  other  kind  of  a  box,  for  a  platform,  and 
succeeded,  by  his  intense  earnestness  and  sincerity,  in 
nightly  drawing  around  him  large  numbers  of  the  crowds 
of  miners,  fighters,  and  tenderfeet,  who  jostled  along  the 
narrow  street  seeking  diversion,  despite  the  many  counter- 
attractions  on  every  hand.  It  is  a  notable  fact  —  and  to 
their  everlasting  credit  be  it  chronicled  —  that  none  of  the 
motley  crowd,  gathered  around  to  listen  to  his  earnest 
teachings,  ever  attempted,  as  far  as  known,  to  annoy  or 
disturb  him  in  his  work.  His  labors  were  not  confined  to 
Deadwood  alone;  he  sometimes  appointed  meetings  at  dis- 
tant mining  camps,  and  it  was  in  the  fulfillment  of  one  of 
these  engagements  that  he  met  his  death. 

On  the  20th  day  of  August,  1876,  a  day  that  will  long 
linger  in  the  memories  of  the  then  residents  of  Deadwood, 
Rev.  Smith  —  notwithstanding  he  had  been  warned  of  the 
extreme  danger  of  the  trip  —  with  his  Bible  and  prayer- 
book,  his  only  safeguards,  under  his  arm,  started  confi- 
dently away  over  the  old  mountain  trail  between  Deadwood 
and  Centennial  for    Crook    City,  where  he    had    engaged 


276  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

to  hold  service,  but  when  near  a  point  on  the  trail,  known  by 
old-timers  as  the  **Rest"  he  was  shot  to  death  in  his  tracks,, 
by  one  of  the  Indian  stampeders  of  the  "  Montana  Herd." 

Two  hunters,  who  were  at  the  time  engaged  in  skinning 
a  deer  near  the  spot  where  Smith  was  killed,  hearing  a 
horseman  approaching,  discovered  from  their  concealed 
position  that  the  rider  was  an  Indian.  Whereupon,  one  of 
the  hunters,  Dan  Van  Luvin,  believing  it  to  be  his  duty  to 
shoot  atanj'thing  that  looked  like  an  Indian,  quickly  leveled 
his  gun  and  fired,  killing  the  horse  and  badly  wounding  the 
Indian.  The  two  hunters  then  tied  precipitately  to  Dead- 
wood,  collected  a  party  and  returned  to  the  scene  of  the 
shooting  where  they  fully  expected  to  find  a  dead  Indian. 
The  Indian  on  the  contrary  was  not  dead  but  sufficiently 
alive  to  fire  a  shot  into  the  party  killing  one  of  the  men,, 
but  before  he  could  reload  his  gun,  he  was  riddled  by  a 
volley  of  bullets.  Lo,  the  poor  Indian,  was  game  to  the 
last,  it  being  found  that  Van  Luvin's  shot  had  broken  both 
of  his  legs  and  one  of  his  arms. 

Rev.  Smith  was  found  lying  where  he  fell,  with  arms 
folded  across  his  breast,  his  Bible  and  prayer-book  resting 
on  his  bosom.  He  was  not  scalped  or  otherwise  mutilated  : 
per<;hance  the  savages  surmised  and  respected  his  calling. 
He  died  in  the  harness,  doing  his  Master's  work. 

His  grave,  in  the  cemetery  on  one  of  the  hills  overlooking 
Deadwood  on  the  south,  is  marked  by  a  life-sized  figure 
standing  on  a  square  pedestal  which  bears  the  inscription. 
It  is  cut  from  native  red  sandstone  and  was  erected  in 
October,  1891,  by  his  "  Black  Hills  Friends." 

The  first  gold  produced  from  quartz  by  process  of 
machinery  in  the  Black  Hills,  was  extracted  from  ore 
mined  from  the  Chief  of  the  Hills,  situated  about  one  mile 
above  the  mouth  of  Black  Tail. 

In  August,  1876,  Gardner  &  Co.  and  I.  Chase  pur- 
chased from  the  original  locators,  California  Joe  and  Jack 
Hunter,    a   one-half    interest    in    the   mine   and    at    once 


COL     JAMES    M.    WOODS. 


i 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  277 

commenced  the  construction  of  a  home-made  wooden  Arastra 
near  the  mine  for  crushing  the  ore.  In  the  clean-up  from 
the  first  run  made  by  this  crude  machine,  was  found  a  good- 
sized  nugget,  which,  in  commercial  vaUie,  was  worth  about 
115.00.  The  clean-up  was  made  in  early  part  of  September, 
1876. 

The  first  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  the  popular  bev- 
erage (beer)  in  the  Black  Hills,  was  established  by  L. 
S.  Parkhurst  &  Co.,  temporarily  at  Custer,  afterward 
permanently  in  Deadwood,  in  June,  1876. 

It  was  in  July,  1876,  that  Jack  Langrishe,  the  idol  of 
the  early  Western  mining  camps,  blazed  the  way  and  estab- 
lished the  first  theater  for  the  "  legitimate  "  in  the  Black 
Hills.  The  Langrishe  Troupe,  which  included  Mrs.  Lan- 
grishe and  two  other  ladies,  with  a  wagon  load  of  stage 
accessories  and  an  extensive  repertory,  arrived  in  Dead- 
wood  on  or  about  July  10th,  1876,  and  as  there  was  no 
building  in  the  embryo  city  suitable  for  the  purpose, 
immediate  steps  were  taken  to  provide  a  place  of  sufficient 
capacity  to  accommodate  the  amusement-loving  community 
of  that  great  mining  camp.  A  large  frame  theater  build- 
ing was  put  in  process  of  construction  on  the  south  side  of 
Main  street  on  the  lots  now  occupied  by  Max  Fischel  and 
John  Herman. 

Soon  the  skeleton  structure  was  inclosed  on  its  four 
sides  by  using  part  canvas,  the  supply  of  lumber  not  being 
equal  to  the  demand  ;  then  covered  with  a  canvas  roof  and 
laid  with  sawdust  floor  ;  the  internal  economy  was  ar- 
ranged ;  a  stage  with  the  necessary  entrances  and  exits 
was  hastily  constructed  and  finished  by  a  few  skillful 
sweeps  and  daubs  of  the  scenic  artist's  brush  ;  rows  and 
rows  of  rough  hard  seats,  odds  and  ends  of  lumber,  were 
nailed  together  in  the  big  auditorium,  when  the  pioneer 
theater  building  of  the  Black  Hills  was  ready  for  the  first 
engaofement. 


278  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Pending  the  final  touches  on  the  building,  the  camp  was 
billed  for  the  first  show,  and  indeed  it  does  not  seem 
twenty-one  years  since  the  log  cabins,  sprinkled  with  a  few 
more  pretentious  frame  business  buildings  along  the  nar- 
row street  of  the  embryo  city,  the  trees,  the  huge  boul- 
ders and  the  rocky  headlands  up  and  down  the  gulches, 
were  made  radiant  by  the  glaring  posters,  announcing  the 
firvSt  appearance  of  the  celebrated  Langrishe  theatrical 
troupe  in  the  Black  Hills. 

The  first  performance  in  the  new  theater  building  was 
given  on  the  night  of  Saturday,  July  22d,  1876,  on  which 
important  occasion  the  house  was  crowded  to  the  doors, 
and  doubtless  it  will  be  remembered  by  many  that  there 
came  up  a  heavy  sweeping  rain  during  the  performance 
which,  penetrating  through  the  canvas  roof,  soon  came 
pouring  down  in  copious  streams  upon  the  devoted  heads 
of  the  audience  and  actors  alike.  Yet  despite  the  damp- 
ness of  their  environments,  the  enthusiasm  of  the  audience 
was  not  dampened  to  any  great  extent,  as  but  few  left  the 
house.  Who  could  forego  the  delight  of  seeing  the  inimi- 
table Jack  Langrishe  in  one  of  his  funny  roles? 

By  the  waj',  Langrishe  was  held  in  high  estimation  by 
the  pla3^-goers  of  Deadwood  camp,  not  only  for  his  capa- 
bility as  an  actor,  but  for  his  sterling  qualities  as  a  man, 
by  reason  of  which  he  usually  played  to  crowded  houses, 
but  it  was  on  Saturday  and  Sunday  nights  that  the  man- 
agement scooped  in  the  gold  dust. 

As  an  all-round  actor  Langrishe  was  considered  exceed- 
ingly clever,  but  in  the  arena  of  old-style  comedy  he  was 
par  excellence,  and  also  a  perfect  master  of  the  art  of  facial 
expression.  An  occasion  is  now  recalled  when  his  part 
required  that  he  fail  to  grasp  a  point  that  was  as  plain  as 
noonday  to  everybody  else,  and  to  follow  his  changing 
expression  which  from  that  of  the  densest  stupidity  gradu- 
ally brightened,  as  the  light  of  comprehension  began  to 
dawn  upon  his  benighted  mind,  until  his  broad  good- 
natured  face  beamed  with  the  effulgence  of  supreme  intelli- 


JACK    LAXGIUSHK, 

The  old  time  Black  Hills  comedian. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    TIIR    DAKOTAIIS.  279 

gence,  was  truly  a  rare  treat.  We  do  not  often  see  his 
equal  as  a  comedian.  Mrs.  Langrishe  too,  as  leading  lady, 
was  an  actress  of  no  small  ability,  and  whether  she  imper- 
sonated an  Irish  servant  girl  fresh  from  the  Emerald  Isle, 
a  dude,  or  a  red-headed  cowboy,  she  looked  and  acted  her 
part  to  perfection. 

During  the  following  month,  the  Langrishe  audiences 
were  frequently  treated  to  free  shower  baths,  and  usually, 
as  fate  decreed  it,  at  the  most  absorbing  stage  of  the  per- 
formances. About  the  middle  of  August,  a  waterproof 
roof  was  substituted  for  the  canvas,  in  which  condition,  it 
is  believed,  the  building  served  its  purpose  until  1878,  when 
a  new  and  larger  theater  building  was  constructed  on  Sher- 
man street,  on  the  lots  just  south  of  those  now  occupied  by 
the  B.  &  M.  Railway  Depot.  This  building  was  destroyed 
by  the  disastrous  fire  of  1879,  when  Deadvvood  was  nearly 
obliterated  from  the  map  of  the  Black  Hills. 

The  first  masonic  funeral  services  ever  held  in  the  Black 
Hills  were  conducted  in  the  Langrishe  theater  building  on 
Main  street,  in  August,  1876,  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of 
the  order  being  performed  by  Sol.  Star.  The  deceased 
was  a  man  who  died  at  the  Woods  Hotel,  Deadwood. 

The  first  duel  fought  in  the  Black  Hills  took  place  on  a 
street  at  Crook  City  on  July  18th,  1875,  between  Jas. 
Shannon  and  Thos.  Moore,  resulting  in  the  death  of  the 
former  —  the  challenged  party.  The  occurrence,  although 
not  strictly  an  aflair  of  honor,  and  not  conducted  altogether 
according  to  the  requirements  of  the  code-duello,  was 
nevertheless  a  real  duel. 

'  The  trouble  originated  in  the  saloon  of  C.  D.  Johnston* 
and  was  the  result  of  an  altercation  over  some  money 
matter,  the  particulars  of  which  are  briefly  and  substan- 
tially as  follows. 

Shannon  asked  of  the  proprietor  of  the  saloon  a  loan  of 
$50.00  to    back  his  horse  on  a  race  that  was  to  come  off. 


280  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

which  was  refused.  Failing  in  this  he  turned  and  made  a 
similar  request  of  Moore  who  also  refused  the  accommoda- 
tion, which  so  aroused  his  ire  that  he  proceeded  to  assault 
Moore,  who,  to  settle  the  difficulty,  challenged  his  assailant 
to  a  duel.  In  the  absence  of  seconds,  the  principals  agreed 
to  choose  their  weapons  and  shoot  each  other  at  sight,  and 
both  started  for  their  guns.  Moore  soon  returned  but 
finding  Shannon  still  unarmed,  did  not  shoot  in  accordance 
with  the  terms,  but  requested  his  antiigonist  to  go  at  once 
and  arm  himself.  Shannon  then  went  for  his  gun,  and  in 
about  fifteen  minutes  put  in  an  appearance,  when  both  fired 
almost  simultaneously.  Shannon  falling  mortally  wounded 
at  the  first  shot.  Moore  also  fell,  perhaps  shocked  by  the 
concussion,  but  was  unhurt.  The  body  of  the  dead  duelist 
was  placed  in  charge  of  Dr.  R.  D.  Jennings,  now  a  resident 
of  Hot  Springs,  who  impaneled  a  coroner's  jury  to  hold 
an  inquest,  which  resulted  in  a  verdict  of  justifiable  homi- 
cide. Preceding  the  burial,  Mr.  A.  S.  Garrison  went  out 
a  few  miles  northeast  of  Crook  City  and  dug  a  grave,  where 
Whitewood  now  stands,  but  the  small  funeral  procession 
refused  to  go  so  far,  as  the  Indians  were  much  in  evidence 
in  the  locality  at  the  time,  so  it  halted  and  buried  the  body 
on  a  hill,  about  half  way  between  Crook  City  and  White- 
wood,  where  the  grave  may  be  seen  to-day. 

The  first  quartz  mill  to  reach  the  Black  Hills  was  brought 
in  by  Capt.  C.  V.  Gardner  &  Co.,  during  the  early  fall  of 
1876.  The  machinery  of  this  pioneer  quartz  mill,  consist- 
ing of  what  is  known  as  a  Blake  Crusher  and  a  BalthofF 
Ball  Pulverizer,  was  purchased  by  Capt.  Gardner,  at  Cen- 
tral Colorado,  and  shipped  by  rail  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming, 
whence  it  was  transported  b}'  the  May  &  Appel  fast  freight 
line,  to  its  point  of  destination  near  Gayville,  passing 
through  Deadwood  en  route  on  September  25th,  1876. 
The  plant  was  operated  on  the  rich  conglomerate  ore  taken 
from  the  historic  Hidden  Treasure  Mine,  on  Spring  gulch. 
Before  the  close  of  1876,  about  $20,000  in  gold  was  pro- 


CAPT.    C.    V.    GARDXEU, 

Who  brought  the  first  quartz  mill  to  the  Bla-ik  Hills 
on  September  25th,  1876. 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     281 

diiced  from  the  ore,  piilverize({  by  the  tumbling  balls  in  the 
■cylinder  of  the  crude  little  plant.  The  Hidden  Treasure 
Mine  was  discovered  and  located  by  Thomas  O'Neal  on 
May  13th,  1876,  and  later  came  into  the  possession  of 
Gardner  &  Co.  by  purchase. 

The  first  stamp  mill  to  make  its  advent  in  the  Black  Hills 
was  brought  in  by  Milton  E.  Pinney  in  the  late  fall  of  1876. 
The  mill,  a  ten-battery  plant,  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Pin- 
ney at  Central  Colorado,  and  shipped  b}^  rail  to  Cheyenne, 
and  from  there  transported  by  Wood  Foglesong,  under 
contract  with  the  purchasers  at  $12.50  per  100  pounds  to 
Central,  where  it  was  erected  on  the  Alpha  and  Omega 
property  located  near  Central.  Upon  the  arrival  of  the 
mill  on  the  ground,  Woolsey,  Jones,  and  Rowland,  owners 
of  the  Alpha  and  Omega  mines,  convej'ed  a  half  interest  in 
their  mining  property  to  Pinney  &  Lorton,  in  considera- 
tion of  a  half  interest  in  the  mill,  thus  giving  to  each  of 
the  contracting  parties  an  equal  proprietary  interest  in  the 
mines  and  mill. 

J.  M.  Brelsford  and  Aaron  Dunn,  now  of  Deadwood,  and 
W.  E.  Jones,  of  Sturgis,  assisted  in  the  work  of  building 
the  plant,  which  commenced  dropping  its  ten  stamps  on 
December  30,  1876.  This  mill  was  operated,  with  short 
periods  of  interruption,  on  ore  taken  from  the  Alpha  or 
Omega  Mines,  perhaps  it  will  be  more  correct  to  say  the 
Alpha  and  Omega,  until  1885,  when  the  engine  and  boiler 
were  removed  to  Sturgis  by  W.  E.  Jones  to  be  utilized  in 
A  saw  mill  near  that  place  where  they  are  still  in  occa- 
sional use.  The  worn-out  batteries  were  thrown  aside, 
having  served  their  day. 

The  Alpha  Mine,  a  conglomerate  crystallized  quartz 
proposition,  was  discovered  and  located  by  Jas.  Wolsey, 
a  Californian,  W.  E.  Jones,  and  M.  V.  Rowland,  on  May 
12th,  1876.  A  little  later  the  Omega  mine  was  located  by 
the  same  parties,  in  such  a  way  that  it  overlapped  the 
richer  portion  of  the  Alpha  location,  at  which  point  of  inter- 


282  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

section  the  ore  pounded  out  by  the  batteries  of  the  first 
stamp  mill  was  mined. 

The  introduction  and  successful  operation  of  these  two 
pioneer  quartz  mills  exerted  a  powerful  influence  in  bring- 
ing the  Black  Hills  into  public  prominence  as  a  gold-pro- 
ducing region;  in  attracting  capital,  eager  for  profitable 
investment,  thereto,  and  in  encouraging  new  discoveries 
and  future  developments.  Their  operations  convinced  the 
world  that  there  was  plenty  of  gold,  bright  gold,  buried 
beneath  the  pine-clad  hills  of  the  new  El  Dorado,  awaiting 
similar  developments  and  needing  improved  and  more  ex- 
tensive machinery  to  convert  it  into  commercial  value,  and 
it  is  thought  that  those  enterprising  pioneers  who  expended 
their  energies,  and  risked  thousands  of  money  in  bringing 
the  Black  Hills  to  the  fore,  are  deserving  of  more  credit 
than  the  average  man  or  woman  in  this  day  and  generation 
think  to  accord. 

It  may  be  proper  to  state  here  for  the  benefit  of  those 
who  know  less  about  mining  than  an  old  Black  Hills' 
pioneer,  that  there  is  a  distinction  as  well  as  a  difference 
between  a  stamp  mill  and  a  quartz  mill.  Paradoxical  as  it 
may  seem  a  stamp  mill  is  essentially  a  quartz  mill,  but  a 
quartz  mill  is  not  necessarily  a  stamp  mill.  In  a  stamp  mill 
the  ore  is  pulverized  by  stamp  batteries,  while  in  a  quartz 
mill  other  agencies  may  be  employed  for  the  purpose,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  Bolthoff  and  Ball  Pulverizer  brought  into 
the  Hills  by  Capt.  Gardner,  which  pulverized  the  ore  by 
the  rolling  and  tumbling  of  iron  balls  in  a  huge  cylinder. 

The  first  gold  dust  to  the  amount  of  $1,000,  sent  out 
of  the  Black  Hills,  was  carried  from  Custer  City  to  Chey- 
enne, by  Emil  Faust,  now  of  Lead  City,  in  the  early  part 
of  March,  1876.  The  gold  was  produced  for  the  most  part 
from  the  placer  deposits  along  the  streams  of  the  southern 
and  central  Hills,  during  the  late  fall  of  1875,  and  was 
given  into  the  custody  of  Mr.  Faiist  by  several  miners,  to 
be  invested  for  their  benefit  in  supplies.     As  there  were 


MILTON     E.    PIXXEY, 

Who  brought  the  first  starap  mill  to  the  Black  Hills  in  the  fall 

of  1876. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  283 

no  highway  robbers  on  the  road,  and  but  few  Indians  on 
the  warpath  at  that  early  date  in  1876,  the  hazard  of  carry- 
inw  so  much  sold  was,  by  virtue  of  these  facts,  reduced  to 
a  minimun. 

The  first  large  shipment  of  gold  dust  from  the  Black 
Hills  was  made  by  the  Wheeler  Brothers,  late  in  the  fall  of 
1876.  Those  old  mountaineers  had,  during  the  summer 
and  fall  of  1876,  sluiced  out  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
o-litterino:  gold  from  claim  No.  2  below  "  Discovery  "  on 
Deadwood  gulch.  Some  alleged  that  they  also  worked  the 
lower  half  of  No.  1  below  ;  the  exact  number  of  thousands 
is  not,  and  probably  never  will  be,  known.  The  amount 
has  been  variously  estimated  at  from  $50,000  to  $150,000, 
and  even  more.  At  any  rate,  the  boys  had  made  a  big 
stake  and  were  evidently  satisfied.  After  going  pretty 
thoroughly  over  their  claim,  they  sold  out  the  residue  of 
the  gold  in  the  ground  and  in  the  tailings  for  two  or  three 
thousand  more,  when  they  were  ready  to  turn  their  backs 
upon  the  Black  Hills  with  their  pockets  filled  to  overflow- 
ing with  Black  Hills  gold. 

As  the  country  surrounding  the  Hills  was  still  filled  with 
depredating  bands  of  the  hostile  Indians  —  returned  from 
the  battles  of  the  Little  Big  Horn,  and  with  numerous  white 
desperadoes,  who  were  even  more  to  be  feared  than  the 
Indians,  the  question  as  to  the  best  means  by  which  to  ship 
so  large  an  amount  of  gold  became  a  matter  of  grave 
importance,  and  one  demanding  serious  consideration. 
They  finally  selected  and  employed  a  strong  guard  from 
among  the  experienced  miners  —  old  mountaineers  who,  to 
use  a  vulgar  phrase,  had  been  there  before  —  to  escort  the 
train  and  guard  their  golden  treasure  out  of  the  Black 
Hills,  for  a  consideration  of  $25  per  day,  until  reaching  the 
railroad.  Other  miners  along  the  gulches  who  had  a  sur- 
plus of  gold  dust,  upon  hearing  of  this  arrangement  for 
shipment  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  ship  with 
them,  thus  increasing  the  amount  of  shipment  by  about 
),000  —  a  tempting  bait  for  an  alert  road  agent.     For- 


284  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

tunately,  however,  owing  to  the  secrec}^  with  which  the 
arraugements  were  made,  the  first  large  shipment  of  gold 
from  the  Black  Hills  reached  the  railway  without  encoun- 
tering any  serious  trouble. 


The  Congregational  Church  of  Deadwood  is,  beyond 
■question,  entitled  to  the  proud  distinction  and  honor  of 
having  formed  the  tirst  religious  society  ever  organized  in 
the  Black  Hills.  Late  in  the  fall  of  1876  Rev.  L.  P. 
Norcross  was  sent  by  the  American  Home  Mission  Society 
to  Deadwood,  where  he  began  the  work  which,  after 
twenty-one  years  of  hard,  earnest  Christian  effort,  has 
culminated  in  the  large  and  prosperous  society  of  to-day. 

Few,  perhaps,  of  those  who  now  worship  God  nnder  the 
domes  of  commodious  church  buildings  of  approved  church 
architecture,  with  stained-glass  windows,  cushioned  seats 
and  richly-carpeted  aisles,  heated  by  furnaces  and  illumined 
with  incandescent  lights,  fully  realize  the  uncomfortable 
environments  and  limitations  under  which  the  nucleus  of 
the  pioneer  church  organization  of  the  Black  Hills  was 
formed. 

At  first  the  devoted  and  self-sacrificing  missionary,  sent 
to  bring  Deadwood  sinners  to  repentance,  and  keep  others 
in  the  straight  and  narrow  path,  had,  perforce,  to  conduct 
his  services  here  and  there,  wherever  a  place  could  be 
secured  for  the  purpose — in  buildings  wholly  unsuitable 
for  the  purpose,  whose  roofs  were  not  always  impervious 
to  rain,  furnished  with  seats  of  rough  boards  without 
cushions  or  backs,  and  lighted  by  a  couple  of  kerosene 
lamps.  In  such  places  Rev.  Norcross,  from  a  slightly 
elevated  platform  — sometimes  a  mere  box  of  some  kind  — 
read  his  notes,  if  it  was  evening  service,  by  the  dim 
rays  of  a  coal  oil  lamp,  while  his  listeners  sat  bolt  upright 
in  their  backless  seats,  sometimes  shivering  with  cold. 
Yes,  this  is  a  realistic  picture  —  rather  underdrawn. 

Rev.  Norcross  held  his  first -services  in  Deadwood  at  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  285^ 

Internalional  Hotel  on  Main  street,  at  the  opening  of  which 
service  only  five  persons  were  present,  this  number,  how- 
ever, increasing  to  twenty-five  or  thirty  before  its  close. 
After  two  or  three  Sundays  the  building  was  rented  for 
a  meat  shop,  when,  for  several  Sundays,  services  were 
conducted  in  the  dining  room  of  the  Centennial  Hotel. 

The  Deadwood  theater  building  on  Main  street  was  then 
tendered  by  its  proprietor.  Jack  Langrishe,  which  generous 
otfer,  owing  to  the  impracticability  of  heating  the  building, 
and  the  fact  that  entertainments  were  frequently  held  in 
the  evening,  was  not  accepted.  The,  society  then  com- 
menced holding  their  meetings  in  a  carpenter's  shop  in 
South  Deadwood,  opposite  Boughton  and  Berry's  sawmill, 
where  services  were  continued  for  three  or  four  months, 
the  fuel  and  lights  being  furnished  free  of  charge  by  Col. 
Backus.  Occasional  services  were  also  held  at  other 
places  during  the  fall  and  winter  of  1876  and  1877.  About 
the  middle  of  January,  1877,  the  church  proper  was 
organized,  at  which  time,  it  is  said,  nine  persons  united  by 
letter. 

In  this  connection  I  am  reminded  of  a  very  amusing 
incident  that  occurred,  one  evening  when  I  was  attending 
services  in  a  building  situated,  as  I  remember  it,  up  toward 
the  point  of  McGovern  hill.  I  think  it  was  in  1877,  and 
the  place  may  have  been  the  first  building  erected  by  the 
Congregational  church.  Be  that  as  it  may,  during  the  ser- 
vice a  brisk  shower  came  up,  and  soon  the  rain  began  to 
percolate  freely  through  the  unfinished  roof  of  the  build- 
ing, when,  just  as  Rev.  Norcross  began  his  closing  bene- 
diction, a  shrill  childish  voice  piped  out,  and  fell  upon  the 
startled  ears  of  the  hushed  congregation:  "Oh,  Mr. 
Norcross!  Mr.  Norcross,  its  a-eaking  on  me!  "  — meaning 
leaking  —  and  no  mistake  it  was  a-eaking  on  the  little  tot, 
as  well  as  the  rest  of  us,  including  Rev.  Norcross.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  the  little  congregation  was  convulsed. 
By  the  eftbrts  of  the  ladies  and  private  subscriptions, 
suflScient  funds   were  raised  to  build  a  church  edifice  and 


286 


THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


purchase  an  organ,  which,  on  July  9th,  1877,  was  turned 
over  to  the  trustees  of  the  organization. 

The  first  settler  to  avail  himself  of  the  pre-emption  law 
in  the  Black  Hills  was  Mr.  Jones,  who  made  settlement  on 
160  acres  of  Section  10,  Township  6,  Range  2  East,  on 
December  5th,  1879,  making  filing  No.  1  on  January  27th, 
1879,  the  same  day  the  plat  was  received  at  the  United 
States  Land  Office  at  Deadvvood. 

The  first  settlement  in  Black  Hills  under  the  Homestead 
Act  was  made  by  Joseph  Ransdell,  of  Spearfish,  who  made 
entry  No.  1  at  the  United  States  Land  Office  on  February 
3d,  1879,  of  160  acres  of  Section  10,  Township  G,  Range  2 
East  of  Black  Hills  meridian. 

The  first  man  in  the  Black  Hills  to  avail  himself  of  the 
act  to  encourage  the  growth  of  timber  on  the  Western 
prairies  was  E.  D.  Knight,  who  made  Timber  Culture  Entry 
No.  1  at  United  States  Land  Office  on  April  16th,  1879. 

The  government  survey  of  the  township  and  range  in 
which  the  first  entries  are  located,  was  made  by  Charles 
Scott  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1878,  and  the  plat  filed  in 
the  United  States  Land  Office  at  Deadwood  on  January 
27th,  1879. 

The  first  herd  of  beef  cattle  to  arrive  in  the  Black  Hills 
was  brought  in  by  Mart  Boughton  and  a  man  called 
"  Skew  "  Johnston,  from  Cheyenne,  Wyoming.  Whether 
or  not  "  Skew  "  was  his  real  name,  is  an  open  question. 

The  first  minstrel  troupe  in  the  Black  Hills  appeared  in 
Custer  on  August  18th,  1876,  and  gave  their  first  perform- 
ance that  night  in  Long  Branch  Hall.  Admission  fee,  75 
cents. 

The  first  livery  stable  in  the  Black  Hills  was  opened  in 
Deadwood  by  Clark  &  Morill,  in  the  spring  of  1876. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  287 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

CUSTER  IN  1876, 

Custer  narrowly  escaped  achieving  a  place  on  the  pages 
of  Black  Hills  history  under  another  name.  It  may  not 
be  generally  known  that  the  pioneer  town  of  the  Black 
Hills  was  once  named  Stonewall,  in  honor  of  the  brave 
Confederate  General  Stonewall  Jackson.  Yet  it  is  never- 
theless a  fact,  a  fact,  however,  of  which  it  has  no  reason 
to  feel  ashamed,  as  it  in  no  way  reflects  discredit  upon  Cus- 
ter's fair  fame  and  honored  name,  to  have  once  borne  the 
suggestive  appellation  given  to  that  gallant  defender  of  the 
"  lost  cause." 

We  have  it  upon  authentic  authority  that  as  early  as 
July,  1875,  a  town-site  company  was  organized,  and  the 
present  site  of  Custer  laid  out,  and  called  Stonewall,  which 
name  it  bore  until  its  reorganization  a  month  later. 

On  the  10th  day  of  August,  1875,  at  a  mass  meeting  of 
nearly  all  the  miners  then  in  the  Black  Hills,  who  had 
gathered  there  in  compliance  with  the  order  of  Gen. 
Crook,  a  new  town-site  company  was  organized,  and  a 
board  of  trustees  elected,  of  which  Tom  Hooper  was 
chosen  clerk.  On  that  day  a  site,  one  mile  square,  about 
two  and  one-half  miles  above  the  stockade  on  French 
creek,  was  surveyed,  laid  out,  platted,  and  by  unanimous 
choice  christened  Custer  in  honor  of  the  brave,  intrepid 
leader  of  the  first  military  expedition  to  penetrate  the 
Black  Hills,  Gen.  G.  A.  Custer.  The  platted  town-site 
was  then  divided  into  lots  from  one  to  1200  and  on  the 
11th  day  of  August,  1875,  several  hundred  miners  became 
(through  the  medium  of  a  lottery)  nominal,  if  not  defacto^ 
owners  of  Black  Hills  real  estate  to  the  extent  of  a  town 
lot  in  Custer.     As  before  stated,  the  survey  of  the  site  was 


288  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

made  with  a  small  pocket  compas3,  the  lines  laid  by  means 
of  picket  ropes,  and  the  plat  drawn  on  a  piece  of  birch 
bark  twelve  inches  square,  stripped  from  a  tree  growing 
on  the  border  of  French  creek. 

By  permission  of  Gen.  Crook,  a  detachment  of  United 
States  soldiers  aided  in  the  work  of  survey.  The  plat, 
which  has  unfortunately  been  lost,  was  drawn  by  Tom 
Hooper. 

Among  the  first  permanent  settlers  in  Custer  were  D. 
W.  Flick,  Sam  Shankland,  Tom  Hooper,  and  D.  K. 
Snively,  whose  respective  feet  trod  the  ground  upon  which 
the  prosperous  city  of  to-day  stands,  even  before  the  site 
was  laid  and  called  Stonewall.  In  March,  1876,  the  town 
of  Custer,  which  then  comprised  the  major  part  of  the 
population  of  the  Black  Hills,  asserted  itself  and  assumed 
the  dignity  of  a  full-fledged  municipality.  A  mass  conven- 
tion of  the  people  of  the  Hills  was  held,  at  which  all  neces- 
sary city  officers  were  duly  elected.  This  same  convention 
also  organized  a  provisional  government  for  the  entire  Black 
Hills,  established  a  superior  court,  whose  jurisdiction  was  to 
extend  over  the  uncertain  length  and  breadth  of  the  Black 
Hills,  which  court  was  constituted  a  tribunal  of  last  resort 
for  all  legal  transactions  within  its  jurisdiction  until 
such  time  as  regularly  authorized  courts  should  be  estab- 
lished by  the  government.  This  convention  elected  Thos. 
Hooper  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court.  The  municipal 
officers  elected  were  as  follows:  Mayor,  Dr.  Bemis  ;  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  E.  P.  Keiffer;  City  Marshal,  John  Burrows. 
Among  the  twelve  members  of  the  Council  were:  Capt. 
Jack  Crawford,  D.  K.  Snively,  S.  R.  Shankland,  Cyrus 
Abbey,  D.  Wright,  Emil  Faust,  —  Robinson;  others  not 
known.  In  November,  1876,  another  election  was  held 
and  the  following  full  complement  of  municipal  officers 
elected,  viz. :  Supreme  Judge,  J.  W.  C.  White ;  City  Clerk, 
S.  R.  Shankland;  City  Attorney,  G.  H.Mills;  City  Treas- 
urer, W.  H.  Harlowe ;  City  Marshal,  Michael  Carroll; 
City  Surveyor,  A.    J.     Parshall;     City    Assessor,  Joseph 


THOMAS   HOOTER, 

Judge  of  the  Black  Hills  Superior  Court,  established   in  lieu  of 
regular  courts,  by  the  people  of  the  Black  Hills,  in  con- 
vention assembled  at  Custer  City,  in  March,  1876. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  289 

Reynolds;  Justices  of  the  Peace,  I.  W.  Getchell,  W.  A. 
Freeze,  and  A.  B.  Hughes;  Board  of  Trustees,  G.  W. 
Rothrock,  President  and  ex-officio  Mayor,  G.  V.  Ayres, 
Joseph  Bliss,  W.  H.  Bunnell,  E.  Schlewning,  G.  A.  Clark, 
W.  D.  Gardner,  D.  K.  Snively,  F.  B.  Smith,  E.  G.  Ward, 
M.  Woodward,  and  A.  Yerkes. 


CUSTER  IN    1876. 

Custer,  which  in  the  marvelously  short  period  of  the 
three  months  prior  to  its  emergence  from  its  swaddling 
clothes  had  expanded  from  a  few  prospectors  into  a  popu- 
lation of  from  six  to  seven  thousand  souls,  was  destined  ere 
many  months  to  become  nearly  depopulated. 

The  alluring  reports  reaching  that  southern  camp  of  the 
rich  gold  discoveries  in  the  northern  gulches  of  Dead  wood 
and  Whitewood,  quickly  emptied  the  new  city  of  its  entire 

11) 


290  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

floating  population;  miners,  eager  to  find  richer  fields  for 
mining  operations;  business  men  actuated  by  similar  eco- 
nomic considerations,  soon  followed  in  their  wake,  until 
finally,  it  is  said,  only  fourteen  of  the  thousands  remained 
in  the  city  to  direct  its  future  destinies  and  to  lay  the 
foundation  of  a  more  enduring  prosperity. 

Although  the  blow  inflicted  upon  the  aspiring  young  city 
was  severe,  it  was  by  no  means  vital,  it  giving  only  a  tem- 
porary shock  from  which  with  wonderful  recuperative 
powers,  stimulated  by  the  push  and  energy  of  a  few  deter- 
mined men,  it  gradually  recovered.  Failing  to  find  a  place 
to  drive  their  stakes  in  the  upper  gulches,  a  few  of  the 
deserters  soon  returned,  ready  to  pin  their  faith  to  the 
pioneer  city  and  the  southern  gulches. 

One  of  those  who  stood  resolutely  by  the  town  was 
Samuel  Shankland,  whom  no  distant  enchantment  or  big 
stampede  ever  had  power  to  swerve  from  his  steadfast 
loyalty  to  the  town  he  helped  to  found. 

Ever  since  the  day  in  June,  1875,  when  he,  with  one  sole 
companion,  stood  trembling  on  a  bluff"  overlooking  the  val- 
ley of  French  creek,  furtively  watching  from  behind  a  high 
ledge  of  micaceous  rock,  the  dreaded  blue  coats  of  Col. 
Dodge's  command,  he  has  been  true  to  his  first  love. 

As  the  government  had,  in  the  late  fall  of  1875,  with- 
drawn all  opposition  to  immigration  into  the  Black  Hills, 
so  it  had  also  practically  withdrawn  all  protection  to  the 
people,  thus  leaving  them  in  the  spring  of  1876  to  depend 
entirely  upon  their  own  resources  for  means  of  defense 
against  the  hostilities  of  the  Sioux,  who  would,  with  the 
opening  of  the  buds  and  the  sprouting  of  grass,  be  on  the 
warpath.  Realizing  this  danger,  the  people  of  the  exposed 
settlements  began  early  to  organize  for  defensive  opera- 
tions against  Indian  surprises  which  were  sure  to  come. 

Custer,  owing  to  its  location  on  one  of  the  principal  lines 
of  travel  into  the  Hills,  occupied  an  inviting  position  for 
Indian  raids,  so  its  citizens,  wide  awake  to  the  peril  that 
menaced  their  lives   and   property,  about   the    middle    of 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  291 

March,  1876,  formed  an  organization,  consisting  of  125  men, 
composed  of  the  best  bone  and  sinew  of  the  city,  known 
as  the  *' Custer  Minute  Men,"  to  serve  as  a  home-guard. 
At  the  head  of  this  organization  was  Capt.  Jack  Oawford, 
the  famous  government  scout,  with  Chas.  Whitehead  as 
his  First-lieutenant.  The  organization  was  effected  none 
too  soon,  as  early  in  April  hostilities  began. 

These  Indian  depredations  were  directed  chiefly  against 
small  parties  of  immigrants,  making  their  way  into  the 
Hills,  while  passing  through  the  gloomy  defiles  of  Buff'alo 
Gap  and  Red  Canyons,  springing  suddenly  out  upon  them 
from  ambush,  capturing  their  horses,  destroying  their 
goods,  and  often  killing  the  owners  who  fell  bravely 
defending  their  property. 

Frequently  small  bands  of  the  red  thieves  would  ride 
their  fleet  ponies  to  the  limits  of  the  town,  dismount  and 
sneak  stealthily  to  where  horses  were  grazing,  cut  the 
lariat  ropes,  then  mount  and  away  with  ill-gotten  booty 
like  a  flash.  Occasionally,  they  even  made  bold  dashes 
right  through  the  town,  — yelling  like  demons  in  seeming 
defiance  of  the  settlers,  who,  mounting  in  hot  haste,  would 
follow  in  distant  pursuit,  —  usually  too  late  to  overtake  the 
bold  marauders.  The  following  extract  from  a  letter, 
written  by  a  well-known  and  honored  pioneer  of  1876, 
Samuel  Booth,  now  deceased,  to  the  Oskosh  Times,  describ- 
ing his  journey  from  Sidney  to  the  Black  Hills  in  April, 
1876,  will  pretty  clearly  illustrate  the  dangerous  environ- 
ments of  the  pioneer  city  at  that  time.  In  his  closing 
paragraphs  he  says  :  — 

"  Now  we  find  ourselves  in  the  Black  Hills  proper. 
The  roads  are  rough  and  rocky,  and  the  hills  are  covered 
with  a  thick  growth  of  Norway  pine.  About  noon  we 
came  upon  three  wagons  that  had  been  captured  by  the 
Indians.  Everything  in  them  that  had  not  been  carried 
ofi*  was  destroyed;  cofiee  mills  broken,  flour  scattered 
about;  harness  cut  into  small  pieces,  and  wagons  shot  full 
of  balls.     About  a  half  mile  further  on  we  came  to  another 


292  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

place  where  there  had  been  a  battle;  —  blood  on  the 
stones,  —  any  amount  of  cartridge  shells,  and  other  signs 
that  showed  that  we  were  near  to  business.  That  night 
we  all  stood  with  our  guns  in  our  hands  and  the  next  day 
we  drove  into  Custer  — sixteen  days  from  Sidney. 

"  I  had  slept  only  a  short  nap  at  noon  since  I  left  the 
Bad  Lands,  and  now  that  we  were  safe  in  sight  of  a  thousand 
men,  and  where  the  sound  of  axes,  hammers,  and  saws, 
seemed  equal  to  Oskosh,  and  miners  were  turning  French 
creek  in  every  direction,  my  first  thought  was  to  get  a 
little  sleep.  I  accordingly  threw  a  blanket  on  the  ground, 
dropped  upon  it,  and  was  soon  in  the  land  of  '  Nod.' 
How  long  I  slept  I  do  not  know,  but  I  do  know  that  1  was 
aroused  by  somebody  falling  over  me,  —  coffee  pots  and 
frying  pans  rattling,  women  and  children  screaming,  guns 
rattling,  and  last,  but  not  least,  about  a  dozen  Indians  gal- 
loping across  the  valley,  yelling  like  mad.  The  next 
minute,  and  before  we  could  get  our  guns  ready,  they  had 
dashed  into  the  timber  on  the  other  side  of  the  valley  and 
were  gone,  taking  several  head  of  horses  with  them. 
Hurrah,  for  the  '  Custer  Minute  Men  ! '  Saddle  and  bridle 
your  poor  skeleton  horses  and  give  chase.  In  fifteen  min- 
utes they  are  in  motion;  —  and  in  an  hour  and  a  half  they 
came  back  leading  their  poor  jaded  horses,  and  thus  ended 
another  raid  on  Custer." 

The  above  is  a  true  picture  of  the  temper  of  the  hostiles 
in  187(3.  During  the  month  of  April  at  least  three  sep- 
arate parties  of  emigrants  were  attacked  in  Buff'alo  Gap 
Canyon,  whose  outfits  were  found  in  the  condition  described 
in  Mr,  Booth's  letter.  In  one  case  the  scene  of  attack 
gave  evidence  that  there  had  been  a  fierce  conflict  between 
the  savages  and  their  victims. 

Among  the  first  and  most  atrocious  of  the  bloody  deeds 
committed  in  the  spring  of  1876  was  the  killing  of  Col. 
Brown  and  another  of  his  party,  and  the  massacre  of  the 
Metz  family  in  Red  Canyon  when  on  their  way  out  of  the 
Hills. 


S.    M.    BOOTH, 

One  of  Custer's  early  settlers  in  1876. 


LAST   HUNTING    GROUND    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS. 


293 


Col.  Brown,  familiarly  known  as  Stuttering  Brown, 
agent  of  the  Cheyenne  &  Black  Hills  Stage  Co.,  and  an- 
other man,  whose  name  is  unknown,  were  killed,  and  a 
man  called  "  Curley  "  badly  wounded,  at  a  point  near  the 
mouth  of  Red  Canyon,  on  April  22d,  1876.  Col.  Brown 
was  on  his  way  out  from  Custer  to  Cheyenne  with  his  two 


SCENE    AT    RED    CANYON    AFTER    THE    MURDER    OF    THE    METZ    PARTY. 


companions,  to  look  up  a  more  practicable  route  to  the 
Hills,  and  to  establish  stations  along  the  line  thereof  for 
the  above  mentioned  company,  when  they  met  their  doom. 
The  Indians  (if  Indians  they  were)  swooped  down  upon  the 
little  party  from  behind  a  projecting  headland,  at  a  time 
and  place,  perhaps,  when  they  least  expected  an  attack, 
mortally  wounding  the  two  and  dangerously  wounding  the 


294  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

other.  They  were  found  and  carried  to  the  Cheyenne 
river  station,  where  Col.  Brown  died  that  night,  the  other 
dying  the  next  day.  "  Curley,"  the  driver  of  the  team,  was 
taken  first  to  Hat  Creek  station,  where  he  laid  for  many 
days  in  a  little  log  hut,  hovering  between  life  and  death. 
As  soon  as  it  was  possible  to  move  the  wounded  man  he 
was  conveyed  to  Fort  Laramie,  where  he  finally  recovered. 
Many  believe  that  the  deed  was  not  committed  by  the 
Indians  but  by  a  character  called  Persimmons  Bill  and  his 
associates,  in  an  attempt  to  get  possession  of  the  horses 
belonging  to  the  company.  More,  however,  believe  the 
perpetrators  to  have  been  Indians.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the 
horses  were  taken,  while  the  wagon,  riddled  with  bullets 
and  bespattered  with  blood,  was  found,  upturned,  near  the 
scene  of  the  attack.  The  scene  of  the  tragedy  gave  evi- 
dence that  the  men  sold  their  lives  dearly. 

MASSACRE    OF    METZ    FAMILY. 

Two  days  later,  April  24th,  the  Metz  party,  consisting 
of  husband  and  wife,  a  man  who  drove  the  team,  and  a 
colored  woman,  while  on  their  way  out  from  Custer  to  their 
home  in  Laramie  City,  Wyoming,  in  passing  through  Red 
Canyon  were  pounced  upon  by  a  band  of  ambushed  savages 
and  every  member  of  the  defenseless  little  party  brutally 
massacred.  After  lying  there,  scattered  along  the  trail  as 
tempting  bait  for  the  hungry  vultures  for  many  hours, 
three  of  the  victims  were  found,  taken  to  the  Cheyenne 
river  stage  station,  and  temporarily  buried.  After  a  few 
days  the  other  victim  (the  colored  woman)  was  found  in  a 
ravine  a  little  distance  away,  her  body  pierced  with  numer- 
ous arrows.  It  appeared  that  she  had  attempted  to  escape, 
was  overtaken  in  her  flight  and  murdered.  Mrs.  Metz  also 
had  attempted  to  escape,  as  her  body  was  found  nearly  a 
half  mile  from  the  point  of  attack  where  the  demolished 
vs^agon  and  goods,  scattered  broadcast,  were  found.  There 
was  one  notable  feature  about  those  early  Indian  attacks, 
viz. :   that  they  rarely  took  the  provisions  of  their  victims, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


295 


and  indeed  they  had  no  need  to  as  those  graceless  wards 
of  the  government  were  amply  provided  with  rations. 

HOSTILES    RETURNING    FROM    LITTLE    BIG    HORN. 

From  the  latter  part  of  May  until  after  the  battles  of  the 
Little  Big  Horn,  the  people  of  the  Hills  had  a  comparative 
surcease  from  Indian  outrages.     A  little  before  the  middle 
of  July,  however,  the  hosts  of  Crazy  Horse,  who  had  Hed 
from  that  sanguinary  battlefield  towards  the  Black  Hills 
before  Gen.  Crook's  pursuing  army,  separated  into  numer- 
ous small  bands  and  emboldened  by  their  recent  victory 
and  with  whetted  appetites,  renewed  aggressive  operations 
against  the  outposts  of  the  Hills  on  the  north,  south,  and 
east.     For  the  two  following  months  those  flitting  bandits 
seemed  to  be  omnipresent  and  there  was  no  telling  when 
nor  where  they  would  make  their  unwelcome  presence  felt. 
Scarcely  a  day  passed  that  did  not  bring  to  light  some  dark 
tragedy  for  which  they  were  responsible.     Men  were  way- 
laid and  murdered  in  almost  every  part  of  the  Hills  ;  trains 
were  harassed  and  beleaguered  along  all  the  lines  thereto  ; 
horses  were  stolen  and  run  off;  herds  of  cattle  were  driven 
away,  slaughtered  and  jerked  before  they  could  be  over- 
taken;  in  short,  the    people    of  the  exposed    settlements 
were  kept  in  a  chronic  state  of  horror  and  suspense.   Verily, 
those  were  days  that  tried  the  souls  of  the  pioneers. 

In  the  early  part  of  July,  word  came  from  Gen.  Crook  to 
Custer  that  a  large  band  of  800  Indians  was  making  its 
way  towards  the  Black  Hills,  with  the  avowed  purpose  of 
driving  out  the  white  settlers  from  their  country,  creating 
no  little  excitement  and  consternation,  —  especially  among 
the  women  and  children,  of  whom  there  were  a  consider- 
able number  in  the  city.  On  receipt  of  this  alarming  in- 
formation, a  meeting  of  the  citizens  was  called  to  consider 
measures  for  the  better  defense  of  the  city  —  when  the 
building  of  a  stockade,  large  enough  to  afford  a  refuge  for 
the  population  of  the  city  in  the  event  of  an  attack,  was 
agreed  upon.     Money  and  work  were  liberally  subscribed. 


296  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

and  the  next  morninof  a  large  force  of  men  was  at  work 
upon  the  building,  which  was  hurried  to  speedy  completion. 
The  immense  log  structure  of  100x150  square  feet  was 
built  on  the  north  side  of  Custer  avenue,  across  Seventh 
street,  which  point,  although  central,  was  not  within  speedy 
reach  of  many  residents  in  case  of  a  surprise. 

For  this  reason  two  of  Custer's  enterprising  citizens  — 
Joseph  Reynolds  and  H.  A.  Albion  —  who  lived  several 
blocks  away  from  the  stockade,  determined  to  construct 
private  fortifications  for  the  benefit  of  their  own  respective 
families  and  those  of  their  nearest  neighbors,  to  which 
they  would  be  able  to  escape,  without  encountering  Indian 
bullets,  at  the  first  signal  of  alarm.  These  two  fortifica- 
tions were  planned  and  constructed  wholly  along  under- 
ground lines,  and  reflected  great  credit  upon  the  ingenuity 
of  the  designers. 

An  underground  passage-way  was  first  dug  from  their 
cabins  to  a  distance  of  about  fifteen  feet,  where  a  room 
ten  feet  square,  and  just  deep  enough  to  permit  an  average 
man  to  stand  erect,  was  excavated  ;  along  the  top  margin 
of  the  excavation  were  laid  hewn  timbers,  into  which 
numerous  portholes  were  bored,  and  through  which  all 
Indians  coming  within  the  range,  long  or  short,  of  their 
guns,  were  to  be  perforated;  a  board  roof  covered  with 
a  thick  layer  of  earth  completed  the  works  —  making 
altogether  an  ideal  underground  fort.  Fortunately,  the 
people  of  Custer  were  never  compelled  to  take  refuge 
within  the  fortifications,  as  no  formidable  force  of  Indians 
ever  assailed  the  city.  However,  small  bands  were  to  be 
seen,  almost  daily,  skulking  around  the  outskirts  of  the 
city,  stealing  horses  and  killing  many  of  those  who  ven- 
tured outside  the  city  limits. 

RAIDS    ox    CUSTER. 

On  July  24th  ten  heads  of  horses  were  run  off  while  the 
herder  was  at  dinner.  A  party  of  ten  mounted  men  started 
at  once  in  pursuit  of  the   thieves,  and,  after  a   long  chase, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  297 

came,  about  dark,  upon  two  of  the  stolen  horses,  shot 
through  the  head,  when  the  chase  was  given  up. 

On  July  27th  two  teams  belonging  to  a  large  freight 
train,  about  ready  to  start  to  Sidney  for  goods,  was  driven 
out  a  little  distance  beyond  the  city  limits,  to  get  better 
grazing  until  the  train  should  come  along.  eTust  as  the 
horses  were  unhitched  from  the  wagons  and  before  the 
harness  was  removed,  seven  Indians  dashed  up  with  a 
whoop,  captured  and  drove  off  the  four  horses  with  their 
harness  on,  the  two  men  having  the  horses  in  charge  very 
wisely  running  away  at  the  first  whoop  of  the  savages. 
This  easy  conquest  emboldened  them  to  come  nearer  the 
city,  but  they  encountered  a  man  the  next  time  who  was 
not  so  easily  frightened,  as  will  be  seen. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Welch  who  had  camped  for  the 
night  in  one  of  the  vacant  buildings  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
city,  was  letting  his  four  horses  graze,  watched  by  him- 
self and  son,  while  his  wife  was  preparing  supper  within 
the  cabin,  when  six  of  the  Indians  galloped  up  and  at- 
tempted to  drive  off  the  four  horses,  at  the  same  time 
firing  their  guns  at  the  men,  one  of  the  balls  just  grazing 
the  cheek  of  the  elder  Welch.  "I'll  not  run  a  single  step 
for  the  whole  race  of  yez,"  he  yelled,  making  a  motion  as 
if  brushing  it  away  from  his  cheek.  Quickly  his  Sharp's 
rifle  came  to  his  shoulder,  and  he  began  throwing  back 
lead  at  the  would-be  thieves,  when  one  of  them  sank  down 
in  his  saddle,  badly,  if  not  fatally  wounded.  In  the  mean- 
time Mrs.  Welch  had  rushed  in  between  the  two  firing 
parties,  caught  two  of  the  horses  and  led  them  into  an 
empty  cabin  —  the  other  two  following,  and  then  with  rifle 
in  hand,  came  out  and  joined  her  husband  and  son  in  the 
battle. 

The  Indians,  finding  the  plucky  Celts  more  than  a  match 
for  them,  rode  hastily  away,  two  of  them  riding  beside 
their  wounded  or  dead  comrade.  As  they  rode  away  Mr. 
Welch,  Sr.,  called  out  to  them,  at  the  same  time  shaking 
his  fist  threateningly  toward  them,   "  Bad  cess  to  yez,  ye 


298  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OR, 

thavin',  murtherin'  spalpeens.  By  the  howly  Moses,  if 
oi  had  a  howld  of  yez,  its  mesilf  would  give  yez  sich  a 
batin'  as  yez  niver  dhraraed  uv."  Two  boys  who  had  wit- 
nessed the  whole  affray  from  behind  a  log,  thought  they 
could  easily  have  killed  the  six  Indians,  if  they  had  been 
provided  with  guns.  This  raid  created  intense  excitement 
in  Custer.  A  hundred  armed  men  were  in  the  street  in  a 
minute  after  the  alarm  was  sounded,  and  in  a  very  brief 
time  twenty-five  "  minute  men,"  were  in  their  saddles, 
ready  to  start  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians,  but  were  just  in 
time  to  see  them  disappear  in  the  thick  timber. 

SCALPED  A  MAN  ALIVE. 

During  those  terrible  days,  a  small  party,  among  whom 
was  a  man  named  Ganzio,  left  Custer  for  Fort  Laramie. 
When  near  Hat  Creek  Station,  Ganzio,  while  looking  for  a 
place  to  camp,  a  little  in  advance  of  his  companions,  was 
fired  at  by  a  band  of  Indians  as  they  rushed  out  from 
ambush,  and  he  fell.  In  relating  his  experience  of  what 
followed,  he  said:  *' One  of  the  Indians  put  his  knee  on 
my  back,  another  hit  me  with  the  butt  of  his  gun  ;  then 
they  drew  their  sharp  knife  and  commenced  scalping  me. 
It  was  too  much;  I  died,  or  thought  I  died."  Hearing 
his  loud  cries,  several  of  the  party  came  running  up,  just 
in  time  to  prevent  the  Indians  from  fully  completing  the 
operation.  His  scalp  was  laid  back,  when  he  was  taken 
with  all  possible  dispatch  to  Fort  Laramie,  and  placed  in 
the  care  of  the  army  surgeon.  He  lived  to  relate  the 
horrible  experience  of  being  scalped  alive. 

In  the  latter  part  of  July,  a  party  of  four  miners  with  a 
team  and  light  wagon  loaded  with  supplies,  while  on  their 
way  to  one  of  the  northern  gulches  (I  think  Potato  gulch), 
where  they  had  been  prospecting,  were  attacked  by  a  band 
of  Indians  and  the  whole  party  killed.  The  horses  were 
taken,  the  wagon  riddled  with  bullets,  and  their  supplies 
scattered  over  the  ground.  Some  one  who,  in  passing  over 
the  trail  soon  after,  discovered  the  bodies  and  the  wrecked 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  299 

outfit,  carried  the  shocking  news  to  Custer,  when  a  party 
of  its  citizens  hastened  to  the  scene  of  the  tragedy,  about 
fifteen  miles  distant,  secured  and  placed  the  bodies  in  their 
own  bullet-pierced  wagon  and  brought  them  to  Guster, 
where,  in  a  spot  set  apart  for  Indian  victims,  a  short  dis- 
tance below  the  city,  they  were  decently  buried. 

A  few  days  after  the  last  recorded  atrocity,  four  other 
men  (haymakers)  were  killed  and  scalped  within  a  short 
distance  of  Custer.  The  unfortunate  men,  who  were  en- 
gaged at  the  time  in  cutting  hay  for  Ernest  Schleuning,  Sr., 
now  of  Rapid  City,  went  out  from  Custer  on  the  morning 
of  that  fatal  day  to  their  work  in  the  hay  field,  but  never 
returned  alive.  They  had  not  been  gone  long  before  a  man 
came  running  into  the  city,  breathless  and  excited,  and 
reported  that  he  had  seen  Indians  out  in  the  direction  of  the 
hay  field,  and  that  they  were  up  to  some  deviltry,  as  he 
put  it.     Of  course  the  man  did  not  wait  to  investigate. 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  relate  the  facts,  nearly  all 
the  able-bodied  men  of  the  city  were  armed  and  on  their 
way  to  the  point  indicated  ;  some  on  horseback  dashing  over 
the  ground  with  the  speed  of  the  wind,  others  in  wagons 
rattling  along  the  rough  trail,  with  break-neck  speed  ;  many 
hurrying  along  on  foot,  and  all  willing  and  anxious  to  risk 
their  lives  to  get  a  shot  at  the  red  dare-devils  who  were 
daily  committing  such  wanton  butcheries.  Arrived  on  the 
scene,  the  Indians  were  nowhere  to  be  seen,  but  the  work 
of  their  gory  hands  was  painfully  in  evidence.  The  bodies 
of  the  four  men  were  found  scalped,  and  curiously  enough, 
three  of  them  were  scalped  in  sections  of  four  circular 
pieces  each,  while  the  fourth  was  removed  in  one  piece. 
The  supposition  was  that  there  were  thirteen  Indians,  each 
of  whom  desired  a  piece  to  exhibit  as  a  trophy  of  his 
wonderful  achievement. 

One  of  the  murdered  men  was  Wilder  Cooper,  a  half- 
brother  of  Attorney  Cooper  of  Sundance,  Wyoming,  an- 
other was  a  young  German,  name  unknown,  a  stranger  in 
the  city,   who  before  leaving    that  morning,   gave    to    an 


300  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

acquaintance  his  name,  the  atklress  of  his  relatives,  etc., 
indicating  that  he  either  felt  a  presentiment  of  his  coming 
doom,  or  realized  that  no  person  could  in  those  days  leave 
the  protection  of  the  city  without  taking  his  life  in  his  own 
hands.  The  bodies  of  the  murdered  men  were  interred  in 
the  little  graveyard  a  mile  or  so  below  Custer,  where  to- 
day, may  be  found  among  the  tangled  underbrush  and 
weeds,  the  sunken  graves  of  numerous  victims  of  Indian 
savagery,  little  slabs  of  crumbling  wood  marking  the  spot 
where  repose  their  ashes. 

Custer's  first  regularly  licensed  physician  was  Dr.  D. 
W.  Flick,  now  of  Rapid  City,  who  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  the  spring  of  1876,  and  by  virtue  of 
priority  of  residence,  was  the  first  in  the  Black  Hills.  The 
climate  of  Custer,  however,  proved  so  deplorably  healthy, 
that  the  doctor  was  finally  forced  to  leave  that  region  of 
perennial  health  for  some  more  sickly  clime. 

Its  first  hotel  was  built  in  Fel)ruary,  1876,  bv  a  man 
named  Druggeman,  who  also  purchased  the  first  town  lot  sold 
in  Custer  of  one  Jacobs,  during  the  same  month  and  year. 

The  first  store  of  general  merchandise  was  opened  and 
kept  by  Jas.  Roberts,  on  Custer  avenue,  between  Fifth  and 
Sixth  streets,  in  February,  1876.  Roberts  is  said  to  have 
died  in  Deadwood  during  the  year  1890. 

The  first  saw-mill  in  the  Black  Hills  was  brought  to 
Custer  and  operated  by  J.  F.  Murphy  in  February,  1876. 

The  fiist  legal  practitioners  were  Judge  Thos.  Hooper 
and  Thos,  E.  Harvey,  —  both  receiving  their  first  retaining 
fee  in  the  same  case. 

The  first  newspaper  half  sheet  printed  in  Custer  was 
struck  off  by  Laughlin  &  Merrick  in  May,  1876  —  only  one 
issue  being  printed.  The  first  established  newspaper  was 
the  Custer  Herald,  first  published  by  J.  S.  Bartholomew  & 
Co.  in  October,  1876,  —  continuing  about  six  months. 

Frank  B.  Smith,  for  many  years  identified  with  the  busi- 
ness interests  of  the  Hills,  was  Custer's  private  postmaster 
in  1876,  all  the  mail  brought  to  the  Hills  by  pony  express 


THOMAS     K.    HARVEY, 

•One  of  the  attorneys  in  the  first  law  case  ever  tried  in  the  Black  Hills. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE   DAKOTAHS.  301 

for  that  point  passing  through  his  hands.  Prior  to  the 
establishnient  of  the  pony  express,  Mr.  Smith  also  handled 
much  of  the  mail  brought  to  the  Hills  by  trains,  purchasing 
it  from  the  carriers  for  a  safe  consideration,  then  selling: 
the  letters  for  ten  cents  apiece  at  Custer,  vvhile  those 
addressed  to  Deadsvood  were  taken  there  and  sold  for 
twenty-five  cents  each,  —  making  a  handsome  profit  by  the 
transaction. 

Conspicuous  among  the  residents  of  Custer  in  1876,  was 
the  versatile  Black  Hills  humorist,  E.  T.  Peirce,  familiarly 
called  Doc  Peirce,  the  very  "prince  of  good  fellows" 
among  the  early  pioneers,  and  their  staunch  friend.  A 
very  interesting. character  was  he  in  pioneer  days,  wherever 
he  chanced  to  pitch  his  tent.  With  an  acute  sense  of  the 
ridiculous  there  was  no  occurrence  so  pathetic  that  "  Doc  " 
could  not  detect,  without  the  aid  of  a  Roentgen  ray,  a 
thread  of  the  comic  running  through  its  warp  and  woof. 
Viewing  things  from  an  optimistic  standpoint,  he  ever  saw 
the  silver  linino;  behind  the  darkest  cloud.  Among  the 
"  boys  "  he  gained  for  himself  the  reputation  of  being  very 
fond  of  and  much  addicted  to  practical  jokes,  to  which 
numerous  of  his  unfortunate  victims  could  testify,  if  they 
were  so  disposed,  but  it  was  as  a  story-teller  that  "  Doc" 
took  the  "  cake."  I  know  of  several  who  have  made  for 
themselves  a  brilliant  record  in  that  line,  yet,  if  I  were  a 
betting  character,  I  should  be  willing  to  wager  a  quarter 
that  "  Doc  Peirce  "  has  spun  more  yarns  than  any  other 
man  who  ever  emigrated  to  the  Black  Hills. 

Possessing  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  information  and 
boundless  resources,  he  never  failed  to  make  his  recitals 
drawing  cards,  and  whether  seated  outside  the  door  of  his 
cabin  of  a  summer's  eve,  deftly  touching  the  strings  of 
his  guitar,  or  whether  inside  around  his  rude  hearthstone, 
before  the  glowing  blaze  of  a  pitch  pine  fire  of  a  winter's 
night,  he  never  failed  to  draw  around  him  a  crowd  of  in- 
terested listeners,  who,  by  their  loud  merriment,  attested 
their  appreciation  of  the  entertainment. 


302 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


E.  T.  Peirce  arrived  in  Custer  on  March  16th,  1876. 
In  June  of  that  year  he  went  to  Deadwood,  returning  on 
August  16th,  to  Custer,  where  he  remained  until  April  1st, 
1878,  when  he  went  to  Rapid  City,  and  with  Dan  J.  Staf- 
ford, opened  the  hotel  now  known  as  the  International. 
In  the  fall  of  1880  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Pennington 
County.  In  1886  he  removed  from  Rapid  City  to  Hot 
Springs,  where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Pierce  was  also  deputy 
sheriff  of  Custer  County  before  coming  to  Rapid  City. 

Among  those  who  lived  in  Custer,  with  their  families, 
during  the  days  of  peril,  were  H.  A.  Albion,  A.  B. 
Hughes,  Abram  Yerkes,  Jos.  Reynolds,  Dr.  Flick,  Gen. 
Scott,  Harry  Wright  and  W.  H.  Harlow,  Mrs.  Chas.  Hay- 
ward,  Bob  Pugb,  afterwards  issuing  clerk  at  Pine  Ridge 
Agency,  and  others.  Of  the  above  named  H.  A.  Albion 
and  family  are  still  residents  of  the  pioneer  city.  Mr.  Al- 
bion was  at  one  time  engaged,  in  connection  with  S.  Booth, 
in  freighting  between  Sidney  and  the  Black  Hills. 


ELLIS    T.    PEIRCK, 

The  Black  Hills  Humorist. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  303 


CHAPTER     XXir. 

RAPID  CITY  IN  1876. 

Rapid  City — now  just  past  its  legal  majority  —  was 
founded  on  the  25th  of  February,  1876,  thus  giving  it  the 
prestige  of  being,  in  point  of  age,  the  second  city  estab- 
lished in  the  Black  Hills.  It  was  on  the  23d  day  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1876,  that  John  R.  Brennan,  Martin  Pensinger,  Thos. 
Ferguson,  W.  P.  Martin,  Albert  Brown,  and  Wm.  Marsten, 
arrived  on  Rapid  creek  from  Palmer  gulch,  in  quest  of  a 
desirable  place  upon  which  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  city. 

After  having  spent  nearly  the  entire  winter  in  digging 
ditches,  and  delving  in  vain,  in  that  auriferous  gulch,  for 
the  glittering  flakes  and  nuggets,  for  which  Palmer  gulch 
afterwards  became  famous,  they  finally  concluded  that 
founding  cities  might  prove  a  more  profitable  enterprise. 

Accordingly  on  that  winter's  day,  they  packed  their 
blankets  and  other  equipments,  —  meanwhile  keeping  their 
own  counsel,  and  set  out  on  their  new  venture,  in  a  north- 
easterly direction  towards  Rapid  creek,  —  camping  the 
first  night  at  the  point  where  that  swiftly  flowing  stream 
comes  dashing  down  from  the  shadow  of  the  mountains 
into  the  broad  valley,  near  what  is  now  known  as  Cleghorn 
Springs,  about  five  miles  above  Rapid  City. 

The  next  day,  February  24th,  the  party  went  down  the 
valley  of  Rapid  creek,  a  distance  of  about  twenty  miles 
towards  its  mouth,  exploring  each  graceful  bend  and 
abrupt  turn  of  the  creek  for  a  suitable  place  to  draw  their 
line,  returning  at  night  to  the  foot-hills,  without  having 
found  a  spot  with  the  essential  characteristics  of  their  ideal 
town-site.  That  night  they  established  a  temporary  camp, 
and  planted  the  banner  of  civilization,  at  the  point  of 
rocks,    the    present    location    of  the  Electric  Light  Com- 


304  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

pany's  power  house  on  the  north  side  of  Kapid  creek, 
where  they  were  joined  by  a  number  of  men  who  had  fol-  , 
lowed  them  from  Palmer  gulch,  surmising  that  they  had 
left  to  find  new  diggings.  Among  the  new  arrivals  were 
Sam.  Scott,  J.  W.  Allen,  James  Carney,  Major  Hutchinson, 
and  Wm.  Nuttall. 

On  the  evening  of  the  24th  they  went  into  committee  of 
the  whole,  and  held  a  meeting  under  a  big  tree,  at  the 
point  of  rocks,  when  it  was  decided  to  lay  out  a  town-site 
near  the  foot-hills  on  Rapid  creek,  at  an  eligible  point, 
looking  to  the  trade  of  the  Hills,  as  well  as  to  the  rich 
agricultural  country  in  the  valley  below.  They  argued 
and  believed  that  the  valley  would,  in  the  near  future, 
become  the  route  of  extensive  travel  to  the  Hills,  and  that 
a  town  at  the  grand  gateway  would  become  the  focus  of 
an  extensive  trade. 

That  their  judgment  was  not  at  fault  and  their  faith  well 
founded,  twenty-one  years  of  commercial  prosperity  has 
fully  shown. 

The  next  day,  February  25th,  the  site  was  selected,  sur- 
veyed and  laid  out  along  the  river  to  conform  to  the 
topography  of  the  valley,  and,  at  the  suggestion  of  W.  P. 
Martin,  appropriately  named  Rapid  City,  after  the  stream 
on  whose  banks  it  is  located.  By  the  aid  of  a  pocket  com- 
pass and  tape  line,  the  survey  was  made  by  Sam.  Scott, 
assisted  by  J.  R.  Brennan,  James  Carney,  and  J.  W.  Allen. 
The  ground  laid  out,  covering  an  area  of  one  mile  square, 
embraced  the  original  town-site  of  Rapid  City.  J.  W. 
Allen  was  chosen  recorder. 

The  six  blocks  occupying  the  center  of  the  plat,  were 
divided  into  lots,  and  drawn  by  lottery,  each  person  pres- 
ent being  allowed  the  privilege  of  drawing  five  lots,  the 
rafile  taking  place  at  the  intersection  of  5th  and  6th  streets, 
that  point  being  the  center  of  the  plat.  At  a  meeting  held 
on  the  evening  of  the  25th,  a  town-site  company  was  or- 
ganized by  the  election  of  a  board  of  five  trustees,  viz.  : 
J.  R.  Brennan,  Wm.  Marsten,  J.  W.  Allen,  Major  Hutch- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  305 

iuson,  and  Wm.  Nuttall,  whose  prescribed  duty  was  to 
conduct  the  affairs  of  the  town  in  a  manner  to  subserve 
the  best  interests  of  its  people. 

On  the  day  the  town  was  platted,  a  party  composed  of 
Frank  Wyraan,  Fred  Edgar,  C.  Bates,  and  United  States 
Marshal  Ash,  arrived  at  the  camp  from  Yankton  via 
Pierre,  they  being  the  first  ones  to  reach  the  Black  Hills 
by  that  route. 

The  first  enterprise  looking  to  the  up-building  of  the 
new  town-site  was  a  project  for  laying  out  a  route  of  travel 
between  Rapid  City  and  Fort  Pierre,  with  a  view  of  en- 
couraging freight  and  passenger  traffic  from  Eastern  points 
over  the  line  to  the  natural  gateway  to  the  Black  Hills.  In 
furtherance  of  the  project,  on  the  eighth  day  of  the  follow- 
ing March,  J.  R.  Brennan  and  Frank  Conley  accompanied 
Fred.  Edgar,  C.  W.  Marshall  and  a  Mr.  Field  on  a  trip  of 
exploration  across  the  country,  for  the  purpose  of  select- 
ing the  most  feasible  route  to  Fort  Pierre,  accomplishing 
the  journey  in  six  days  ;  not,  however,  without  experienc- 
ing the  exposure  and  hardships  incident  to  a  March  journey 
across  the  Dakota  plains.  It  is  related  that  during  the 
trip  the  party  encountered  a  regular  Dakota  blizzard,  lost 
a  horse,  and  was  twenty-four  hours  without  food. 

A  party  of  about  100  men,  destined  for  the  Black  Hills, 
was  found  waiting  at  Pierre,  and  soon  after,  another 
party  of  equal  numbers,  led  by  Gen.  Campbell,  arrived  at 
Pierre,  en  route  for  the  same  point.  By  arrangement, 
Conley  conducted  Gen.  Campbell's  party,  over  the  new 
route  to  the  Hills ;  Brennan,  meanwhile,  proceeded  to 
Yankton,  for  the  purpose  of  filing  the  plat  of  Rapid  City 
in  the  United  States  Land  Office,  then,  returning  to  Pierre, 
piloted  the  other  party,  under  the  leadership  of  one  Dillon, 
to  Rapid  City,  where  he  arrived  on  April  8th,  after  an 
absence  of  one  month. 

The  first  cabin  built  in  Rapid  City  was  commenced  on 
the  day  the  town-site  was  platted,  by  Sam.  Scott,  at  the 
corner  of  4th  and  Rapid  streets,  where  it  stood  an  unob- 

20 


306  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

trusive  landmark,  until  1879,  when  it  was  decreed  that  the 
little  old  log  cabin  must  go,  to  make  room  for  the  onward 
strides  of  improvement. 

The  first  hotel  in  Rapid  City  was  built  and  conducted  by 
J.  R.  Brennan,  on  Rapid  street,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth 
streets.  The  structure  in  which  Mr.  Brennan  entertained 
his  guests  in  1876,  was  a  log  cabin  12x14  square  feet, 
but,  as  to  whether  it  was  partitioned  into  two  or  more 
apartments,  or  left  in  one  spacious  room  of  168  square  feet, 
tradition  is  silent.  Be  that  as  it  may,  it  is  safe  to  record 
that  its  guests  were  served  with  the  best  the  market 
afforded, — to  say  nothing  of  the  extra  luxuries  of  game 
and  fish,  for,  be  it  known  that  "  mine  host  "  of  Rapid 
City's  first  hotel  is  a  successful  Nimrod,  as  well  as  a 
devotee  of  the  hook  and  line. 

B}'  the  way,  a  funny  story  is  told  of  the  way  John 
Brennan  managed  the  cuisine  department  of  that  early 
hostelry,  for  the  truth  of  which,  however,  I  am  not  able 
to  vouch,  and,  to  be  candid  I  do  not  believe  a  word  of 
the  story.  It  is  related  that  when  transient  visitors  came 
to  the  hotel  and  called  for  dinner,  Mr.  Brennan  imme- 
diately hied  him  forth  to  the  grocery  store  and  purchased 
just  as  much  provision  as  would  seem  sufficient  for  their 
dinners,  promising  to  pay  therefor  when  he  secured  the 
money  from  his  customers.  He  returned,  took  their  orders, 
and  yelled  the  same  into  an  adjoining  room  to  an  imaginary 
cook,  then  disappeared  behind  the  scenes  and  prepared  the 
dinner  with  his  own  hands. 

The  first  store  of  general  merchandise  in  Rapid  City 
was  established  by  Oscar  Nicholson  in  March,  1886. 

Rapid  City  was  surrounded  by  none  of  the  conditions 
which  characterized  the  abnormal  growth  of  the  early 
mining  camps  of  the  Hills.  Having  no  rich  placer  dis- 
coveries to  draw  the  eager  rushins;  throno;  of  sjold-seeking 
adventurers  to  expand  its  population,  its  development 
depended  largely  upon  its  admirable  location  on  the  main 
line  of  travel  from  the  Missouri  river  to  the  eastern  gate- 


JOHN    R.    BRENNAN. 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     307 

way  to  the  Hills,  and  upon  its  prospective  commercial  pos- 
sibilities as  a  base  of  supplies  for  the  many  mining  com- 
munities springing  up  therein.  The  new  town  was,  how- 
ever, content  to  pursue  the  even  tenor  of  its  way,  confident 
of  achieving  ultimate  greatness  in  a  gradual  and  conserva- 
tive manner. 

The  growth  of  Rapid  City  was  materially  retarded  in 
1876  by  the  persistent  hostilities  of  the  Indians,  who,  by 
their  frequent  murderous  attacks  upon  parties  of  travelers 
making  their  way  into  the  Hills,  struck  dumb  terror  into 
the  hearts  of  many  would-be  settlers,  especially  those  of 
the  tenderfoot  class.  Owing  to  its  exposed  position  on  the 
eastern  limits  of  the  Hills,  outside  the  gate,  perhaps  some 
of  the  early  settlements  suffered  more  from  the  a^orressive 
operations  of  the  Indians  along  the  line  of  horse  stealing 
than  Rapid  City  and  vicinity. 

For  two  months  after  the  middle  of  March,  the  few 
settlers  who  were  determined  to  stay  by  the  town,  were 
kept  constantly  on  the  alert  with  loaded  rifles  in  hand  for 
the  thieving  redskins,  who  were  seen  almost  daily  skulking 
around  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  watching  their  opportun- 
ity to  creep  stealthily  to  the  limits  where  horses  were  pick- 
eted, or  with  a  whoop,  make  a  bold  dash,  capture  and  run 
off  horses  not  their  own.  That  they  often  succeeded  and 
sometimes  failed  in  their  purpose,  the  following  cases  will 
show. 

On  the  14th  of  March  a  band  of  Indians  made  a  bold 
dash,  to  the  limits  of  the  town  and  succeeded  in  ofetting 
safely  away  with  a  herd  of  twenty-eight  horses,  belonging 
to  Bob  Burleigh,  at  one  time  sheriff"  of  Pennington  County, 
Dan.  Williams,  Jud.  Ellis,  John  Dugdale,  and  Ben.  North- 
ington.  Encouraged  by  their  success,  they  returned  on 
April  12th  and  made  another  attempt  to  stampede  a  num- 
ber of  horses,  but  this  time  failed  in  their  purpose.  After 
a  brisk  interchange  of  shots  the  Indians  made  their  escape 
followed  by  a  hail  of  bullets  from  the  guns  of  the  settlers. 
During    the    unsuccessful    raid    they    succeeded  in   killing 


308  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OR, 

a  doo;   belonoring  to   Rufus   Madison,    and    demolishino;    a 
wagon. 

On  the  6th  day  of  April,  a  man  named  Herman  was  killed 
a  short  distance  below  Rapid .  On  the  15th  of  the  same 
month  Capt.  Dodge,  of  Bismarck,  was  killed  near  Spring 
Valley.  Capt.  Dodge  was  the  leader  of  a  party  number- 
ing about  100  men  who  made  their  way  across  the  country 
from  Bismarck  to  the  Hills.  When  near  Rapid  City  he 
discovered  the  loss  of  a  calf  from  the  outfit,  and  returned 
alone  to  look  for  the  missing  property,  the  rest  of  the 
party  proceeding  on  their  journey  to  Rapid  City.  As 
their  leader  failed  to  put  in  an  appearance,  and  apprehen- 
sive that  he  had  fallen  a  victim  to  the  bloodthirsty  Sioux, 
on  the  following  morning  a  party  headed  by  J.  R.  Bren- 
nan,  organized  and  went  back  on  the  trail  in  search  of  the 
missing  man.  Their  worst  fears  were  soon  realized,  as  the 
unfortunate  man  was  found  at  a  point  near  Spring  Valley, 
his  body  riddled  with  bullets;  his  horse  lay  nearby,  having 
shared  his  master's  fate.  There  was  every  evidence  that 
the  brave  man  made  a  desperate  struggle  for  his  life,  but 
the  odds  were  against  him  and  he  was  overpowered. 

The  next  day,  April  16th,  another  man  was  killed  on  the 
Pierre  road  about  two  miles  east  of  Rapid  City. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  Edwin  Sadler, N.  H.  Gardner,  Texas 
Jack,  and  John  Harrison,  were  killed  on  the  Pierre  road 
east  of  Rapid  City,  and  during  the  same  month  S.  C. 
Dodge,  Henry  Herring,  and  C.  Nelson,  were  killed  and 
scalped  and  their  bodies  burned  just  above  Rapid  City. 

For  a  period  of  about  two  months,  from  the  middle  of 
May,  there  was  a  comparative  cessation  of  hostilities  around 
the  Hills,  the  major  part  of  the  Indians  having  left  to  join 
Sitting  Bull  in  the  Northwest.  However,  from  the  middle 
of  July  until  Gen.  Crook's  return  from  his  summer  cam- 
paign against  the  Indians  in  September,  they  kept  the 
people  of  Rapid  City  and  other  border  settlements  in  a 
state  of  constant  terror  by  their  murderous  work. 

On  the  22d  of  August,  two  men,  who  were  building  a 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


309 


cabin  on  a  ranch  about  two  miles  below  town,  were  attacked 
by  a  band  of  the  hostiles,  returned  from  the  Little  Horn. 
The  men,  under  a  brisk  fire,  succeeded  in  reaching  their 
horses  that  were  picketed  near  by,  and  made  their  escape 
towards  Rapid  City,  making  a  running  fight  for  a  mile  or 
so,  when  the  Indians  gave  up  the  chase  without  capturmg 
men  or  horses.  As  soon  as  the  fugitives  reached  Rapid, 
one  of  its  citizens  mounted  a  horse  and  rode  swiftly  up  the 
valley  to  warn  wayfarers  of  the  proximity  of  the  savages, 
which  warning,  however,  was  a  little  too  late,  as  the  Indians 
had  preceded°the  messenger,  and  had  already  succeeded  in 
killing  two  men  at  a  point  about  two  miles  west  of  Cleg- 
horn '^Springs.  The  names  of  the  victims  were  J.  VV. 
Patterson  and  Thos.  E.  Pendleton. 

On  the  same  day,  and  about  the  same  time,  four  men, 
who  were  on  their  way  from  Deadwood  to  Rapid  City,  were 
attacked  at  Limestone  Springs,  on  the  Crook  City  and 
Deadwood  road,  and  two  of  them  killed.  The  party  con- 
sisted of  Sam.  Scott,  I.  S.  Livermore,  G.  W.  Jones,  and 
John  Erquhart.  The  two  latter  were  killed,  Scott  and 
Livermore  making  their  escape  into  the  woods  about  a  half 
a  mile  distant,  where  they  lay  secreted  until  dark,  when 
they  made  their  way  to  Rapid  City,  arriving  at  about  10 

■o'clock  p.  m. 

The  next  morning,  fifteen  or  twenty  men,  with  one  of 
Volin's  freight  wagons,  started  up  the  valley  to  bring  in 
the  bodies  of  the  murdered  men,  first  going  for  those  of 
Jones  and  Erquhart,  which  were  found  about  one-half  mile 
north  of  the  Leedy  springs  — from  which  Rapid  City  now 
crets  its  water  supply.  They  then  drove  over  to  the  old 
mill  site  after  the  other  two  victims,  one  of  whom  was 
found  lyincr  on  his  face  in  the  creek,  the  other  on  the  trail 
about  100  "yards  away.  The  bodies,  both  of  which  were 
scaloedand  terribly  mutilated,  were  placed  in  the  wagon 
with  the  others  and  taken  to  Rapid  City  for  interment. 

While  the  party  was  absent  on  its  humane  and  seif- 
sacrificincr  mission,  the  men  who  had  arranged  to  leave  the 


310  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

couDtry  with  the  Volin  train,  had  become  wrought  up  to  a 
high  pitch  of  excitement,  and  demanded  the  immediate 
removal  of  the  bodies  from  the  wagon,  that  the  train  might 
pull  out  for  Fort  Pierre.  The  proprietor  of  the  outfit  ex- 
postulated with  the  terror-stricken  tenderfeet,  to  wait  until 
a  decent  disposition  should  be  made  of  the  dead,  but  all  in 
vain.  Impressed  with  the  feeling  that  delay  meant  almost 
certain  death,  they  insisted  that  the  train  must  move  at 
once  —  if  not  with,  without  the  consent  of  its  proprietor. 
The  bodies  were  removed  from  the  wagon  and  laid  in 
ghastly  array  on  the  ground  beside  a  log  cabin,  when  the 
train  immediately  pulled  out  for  Fort  Pierre,  and  with  it 
went  nearly  the  entire  population  of  Rapid  City,  fleeing 
from  the  terrible  Indian-infested  country  as  if  a  pursuing 
Nemesis  followed  closely  upon  their  trail. 

Out  of  a  population  of  200  only  eighteen  brave  men  and 
one  courageous  woman  had  the  nerve  to  stay.  The  names 
of  the  nineteen  [)lucky  ones  were:  Capt.  E.  LeGro,  J.  R. 
Brennan,  Howard  Worth,  N.  Newbanks,  Charles  N.  Allen, 
Charles  L.  Allen,  Jake  Dawson,  Mart.  Pensinger,  Andy 
Griffith,  George  Boland,  Jim  Moody,  Hugh  McKay,  Reddy 
Johnson  and  wife,  O.  Nicholson,  Pap  Madison,  Wm.  F. 
Steele,  and  Bob  Burleigh,  and  one  other  not  remembered. 

To  the  nineteen  heroic  spirits  who,  in  staying  by  the 
town,  took  their  lives  in  their  own  hands,  the  prospect  was 
not  a  hopeful  one.  The  situation  was  indeed  one  well  cal- 
culated to  appall  the  stoutest  hearts.  Every  day  the  mer- 
ciless painted  foes  of  the  settlers  appeared  in  sufficient 
numbers  to  utterly  annihilate  them,  yet  their  courage  — 
fortified  by  trusty  loaded  rifles,  their  constant  com- 
panions—  never  wavered  during  those  terrible  days  of 
peril. 

Although  hedged  about  by  everpresent  personal  danger, 
they  did  not  neglect  their  duty  to  the  dead.  Four  rough 
boxes  were  made,  in  which  the  bodies  were  laid  by  strange, 
yet  gentle  hands.  The  boxes  were  then  placed  in  a  wagon 
furnished  by  Charles  N.  Allen,  when  the  funeral  cortege, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  311 

the  first  in  the  annals  of  Rapid  City  marched  to  the  ground 
chosen  for  burial,  on  the  north  side  of  Kapid  creek,  where, 
on  the  brow  of  a  broad,  treeless  plateau  which  sloped  gently 
down  to  meet  that  swiftly-tlowing  stream,  they  were  buried 
in  one  common  grave.     Some  dug  the  grave  while  others 
stood  cruard  with  loaded  rifles  in  hand.     John  R.  Brennan 
Samuel  Scott,  Chas.  N.  Allen,  and  Capt.  E.  Le  Gro,  bur.ed 
the  men,  the  funeral  services    being  conducted  by  Oscar 
Nicholson.     Around    the    grave    stood    every    resident    of 
Rapid  Citv  and  many  of  those  brave  rugged  men  who  did 
not  hesitale  to  face  the  bullets  of  the  Sioux,  found  it  hard 
indeed  to  keep  back  the  rising  tears. 

Erquhart  came    to    the  Black  Hills  from  Denver,  Col- 
orado, shortly  before  he  met    his  tragic  death.     He  was 
well  known  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  Fort  Scott,  Kansas 
in  both  of  which  cities  he  had  held  positions  of  honor  and 
trust      Jones  came  to  the  Hills  from  Boulder,  Colo.,  Pat- 
terson was  from  Allegheny  City,  Penn.,  and  came  to  the 
Hills  as  captain  of  a  party  of  gold-seekers  from  Pittsburg. 
Pendleton  hailed  from  one   of    the  New  England    States, 
and  was  a  member  of    the  New  England    &    Black   Hills 
Mining  Company.     Patterson  and  Pendleton  came  to  the 
Hills  in  the  same  outfit    with  Lyman  Lamb    in  the  early 

sorinc  of  1876. 

Afrer  a  lapse  of  twelve  years,  -  long  after  the  blood- 
curdling war-whoop  of   the  Sioux  had   ceased   to  echo  in 
and  around  the  Black  Hills,  and  the   old  trails  that    had 
been  freely  baptized  with  the  blood  of  many  of  our  early 
pioneers  had  been  abandoned,  to  be  overgrown  with  grass, 
and  when  peace,  security,  and  prosperity  had  settled  down 
upon  the   lovely  city  of  the   valley,  with  its  hundreds  o 
enterprising,  thrifty  population,  a  praiseworthy  movement 
was  set  on  foot    at  the    suggestion  of   J.  R.  Brennan,  to 
remove  the  remains  of   the  four  murdered  pioneers  from 
their  common  grave  on  the  school  section  on  the  north  side, 
and  accord  them  a  resting-place  with  the  silent  majority  in 
Evergreen  Cemetery. 


312  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

In  pursuance  of  that  object,  on  Saturday,  November 
10th,  1888,  the  bodies  were  exhumed  by  undertaker 
Behrens  and  his  assistants,  in  the  presence  of  a  number 
of  those  who  were  present  at  the  burial,  twelve  years 
before.  The  coflSns  were  found  to  be  in  an  excellent  state 
of  preservation,  the  inscriptions  on  the  lids  being  plainly 
legible.  Patterson's  coffin  was  opened  and,  while  the 
clothing  and  bones  were  intact,  the  tlesh  had  resolved  itself 
into  dust.  Lyman  Lamb  recognized  the  boots  as  a  pair 
he  had  often  seen  him  wear  during  his  lifetime.  On  the 
following  day,  November  11th,  1888,  impressive  funeral 
services  were  held  at  Library  Hall,  which  was  filled  to  its 
utmost  capacity, — with  an  overflow  of  200  to  300  people. 
The  Mayor  and  city  council  were  present,  in  conformity 
with  a  resolution  adopted  by  that  body,  and  also  the  local 
post  of  the  Grand  Army.  Many  pioneers  from  other  por- 
tions of  the  Hills  were  in  attendance  to  pay  their  last  sad 
tribute  to  the  memory  of  their  murdered  comrades.  The 
citizens  of  Kapid  City  turned  out  en  masse,  in  response  to 
the  Mayor's  proclamation,  large  numbers  from  the  sur- 
rounding country  being  also  present. 

At  the  close  of  a  programme  of  impressive  exercises, 
consisting  of  appropriate  music,  prayer,  and  touchingly 
eloquent  addresses  by  R.  B.  Hughes  and  Revs.  Dr.  Han- 
cher  and  Wilbur,  the  coffins  were  borne  out,  one  by  one, 
by  their  respective  pall-bearers,  nearly  all  of  whom  were 
early  pioneers,  and  placed  in  wagons  arranged  in  line  in 
front  of  the  hall.  The  procession,  a  full  mile  in  length, 
then  slowly  wound  its  way  to  Evergreen  Cemetery,  where, 
in  the  four  graves  previously  prepared,  the  remains  were 
once  more  consigned  to  Mother  Earth  to  await  the  last 
trumpet  call.  Revs.  Hancher  and  Wilbur  conducted  the 
services  at  the  graves,  and  when  the  solemn  words,  "  Earth 
to  earth,  ashes  to  ashes  "  were  recited,  John  R.  Brennan, 
Sam'l  Scott,  Chas.  N.  Allen,  and  Capt.  E.  Le  Gro — the 
men  who  buried  the  bodies  in  1876,  threw  down  the  first 
earth  upon    their  coffins.     This    time,  however,   no    grim 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  313 

sentinels    stood   around    the    graves    with  loaded   rifles,  to 
truard  them  against  a  savage  foe. 


*  iS^I  t%-:^(^: '■;fe': 


On  the  next  clay  after  the  last  recorded  tragedy  two  men 
from  Spring  creek  reported  finding  a  murdered  man  on 
the  road  about  seven  or  eight  miles  from  Eapid  City.     A 


314  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

party  of  ten  went  out  and  found  the  body  as  reported,  which 
was  buried  on  the  spot  where  found,  and  so  the  carnival  of 
blood  went  on.  The  perils  became  so  great  that  all  work 
was  suspended  in  the  valleys  of  Rapid  and  Spring  creeks, 
and  all  settlers  within  a  radius  of  seven  or  eight  miles 
concentrated  for  safety  at  Rapid  City, 

BLOCK    HOUSE    BUILT. 

During  the  month  of  August  a  substantial  block  house 
was  built  on  the  square,  at  the  intersection  of  Rapid  and 
Fifth  streets,  which  afforded  the  harassed  settlers  a  refuge 
of  comparative  safety  during  the  remainder  of  the  summer. 
The  building  was  a  two-story  structure  of  logs,  with  cupola 
to  serve  for  an  outlook,  the  upper  story  projecting  out  two 
feet  on  all  sides,  over  the  lower  story  which  covered  an 
area  of  thirty  square  feet.  All  extra  provisions  belonging 
to  the  citizens  were  at  all  times  stored  in  this  block  house. 
That  early  stronghold  of  Rapid  City  was  torn  down  during 
the  summer  of  1879,  by  Frank  P.  Moulton,  then  sheriff 
of  Pennington  County,  and  the  material  used  for  building 
a  jail. 

UPPER    RAPID. 

In  the  early  part  of  March,  1876,  another  town,  called 
Upper  Rapid,  was  laid  out  three  and  one-half  miles  above 
Rapid  City,  by  a  party  from  Bismarck,  headed  by  Cali- 
fornia Joe.  Arthur  Harvey,  now  of  Pactola,  Thos.  Mad- 
den and  Wm.  Browning,  were  also  among  its  locators. 
The  land  upon  which  the  town  was  laid  had  previously 
been  located  by  California  Joe  while  connected  with  the 
Jenny  Expedition  in  the  summer  of  1875,  and  is  now  known 
as  the  Wm.  Morris  and  Albert  Brown  ranches.  Owing  to 
the  persistent  hostility  of  the  Indians,  the  project  was 
abandoned  on  August  26th,  1876. 

LOCATION    OF     RANCHES     IN    RAPID    RIVER    VALLEY     IN    1876. 

Those  of  the  early  settlers  inclined  to  rural  pursuits, 
were  quick  to   note  the  generous  agricultural  and  grazing 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS,     315 

possibilities  of  the  bfoad  valley  of  Rapid  creek,  with  its 
wealth  of  waters,  and  were  not  slow  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  golden  opportunity  to  secure  a  choice  of  the  thousands 
of  rich  unoccupied  acres  lying  along  the  creek  from  Rapid 
City  to  its  mouth.  Wide  smooth  acres  they  were,  too, 
without  stumps,  or  very  many  stones,  or  scarcely  a  tree, 
save  those  fringing  the  margin  of  the  stream,  to  interfere 
with  the  plow  in  the  furrows,  or  the  reaper  on  the  surface. 
It  may  well  be  said  that  those  who  had  the  judicious  fore- 
sight to  possess  themselves  of  a  ranch  on  the  fertile  valley 
of  Rapid  creek,  where,  with  its  unsurpassed  facilities  for 
irrigation,  crops  never  fail,  have  to-day  a  property  more  to 
be  prized  than  a  gold  mine. 


316  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

A  TRIP  FROM  CHEYENNE  TO  DEADWOOD  IN  1876. 

It  was  about  the  time  the  Sioux  Indians,  at  Red  Cloud, 
Spotted  Tail,  and  the  Missouri  River  Agencies,  were  rub- 
bing on  their  war  paint,  and  donning  their  feathers,  pre- 
paratory to  starting  out  on  the  warpath  after  the  scalps  of 
Black  Hills  gold  adventurers  in  1876,  just  as  spring  was 
slipping  from  the  lap  of  winter,  and  while  there  were  yet 
banks  of  snow  lying  in  the  bottom  of  the  ravines,  and 
small  patches  of  "the  beautiful"  lay  scattered  here  and 
there  on  the  northern  slopes  of  the  low  sand-hills  around 
the  city  of  Cheyenne,  and  when  the  mud  lay  hub  deep  in 
the  low  depressions  along  the  military  highway  leading  to 
old  Fort  Laramie,  that  a  small  party  of  immigrants,  six  in 
number,  with  three  two-horse  teams,  and  as  many  wagons, 
left  that  phenomenally  windy  city  for  the  Black  Hills. 
When  I  say  "  phenomenally  windy  "  I  speak  advisedly  — 
having  seen  good-sized  pebbles  lifted  from  the  ground, 
carried  along  and  toyed  with  by  a  fierce  "  nor' wester,"  as 
if  they  were  mere  grains  of  sand,  cutting  the  faces  of  pedes- 
trians like  keen  razors. 

One  of  the  wagons  of  the  little  train  was  loaded  to  the 
guards  with  merchandise  for  the  Deadwood  market  —  in 
charge  of  a  man  afterwards  well  known  in  the  Hills  as 
*' Deaf  Thompson:  "  another  with  sundry  supplies,  camp 
equipments,  etc.,  of  H.  N.  Gilbert  &  Son  —  Sam,  than 
whom,  truer  gentleman  never  rehearsed  a  story  around  a 
camp-fire.  By  the  way,  I  saw  Sam  a  few  weeks  since,  and 
he  does  not  look  a  day  older  than  he  did  twenty-three  years 
ago  when  we  traveled  together,  and  all  shared  the  same 
tent,  from  Cheyenne  to  Custer.     The  third  wagon  carried 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  317 

the  household  belongings  of  D.  G.  Tallent,  then  on  his 
third  trip  to  the  Black  Hills,  and  it  is  needless  to  state  that 
the  writer  of  this  story  was  part  and  parcel  of  said 
household  goods. 

Yes,  it  is  twenty-three  years  since  that  day  in  early 
April,  when  I  bade  a  reluctant  adieu  to  the  wind-swept  yet 
hospitable  city  of  Cheyenne,  and,  seated  in  a  canvas-cov- 
ered wagon,  behind  a  span  of  lean,  ossified  horses,  that  had 
been  nearly  starved  to  death  during  a  snowstorm  on  their 
way  out  of  the  Black  Hills  two  weeks  before,  resolutely 
turned  my  back  once  more  upon  civilization  and  all  that  it 
implies,  to  face  the  discomforts,  hardships,  and  positive 
perils  of  a  second  journey  to  the  golden  "  mecca  "  —  a 
journey  which  proved  to  be  full  of  exciting  situations. 

There  is  not  much  in  the  way  of  scenic  attractions  to 
engage  the  interest  of  travelers  along  the  road  from  Chey- 
enne to  Fort  Laramie  —  as  hundreds  who  have  passed  over 
the  route  will  remember — and  it  was  only  the  superabun- 
dance of  mud  encountered  at  intervals,  claimins:  our  undi- 
vided  attention,  that  relieved  the  journey  from  the  oppro- 
brium of  being  called  disgustingly  monotonous  —  without 
even  the  spice  of  danger. 

Several  ranches  were  passed,  in  convenient  succession, 
where  good  camping  grounds  were  found,  and  where 
accommodations  were  furnished  for  man  find  beast  —  bear- 
ing the  unpoetic  though  perhaps  suggestive  appellations  of 
Pole  Creek,  Horse  Creek,  Bear  Springs,  and  Chugwater  — 
after  the  creeks  upon  which  they  were  located.  The  latter 
creek,  by  the  way,  is  deserving  of  a  more  euphonious 
name  than  Chug,  as  it  is  really  a  beautiful  mountain  stream, 
whose  valley  was  already  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth 
of  grass,  in  pleasing  contrast  to  the  dreary  stretch  through 
which  we  had  just  passed. 

Nothing  occurred  to  materially  change  the  original  status 
of  our  little  party  until  it  crossed  the  Platte  river,  when 
our  numbers  began  rapidly  to  augment  and  our  train  to 
lengthen,  for,  by  the  time  we   were   well  outside  the  mill- 


318  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

tary  reservation,  we  had  expanded  into  quite  a  formidable 
expedition  of  about  ninety  well-armed  men,  twenty-five  or 
thirty  wagons,  besides  a  few  horsemen.  Among  the  re- 
cruits were  Frank  Thulen,  Wm.  Cosgrove,  Billy  Stokes, 
Chas.  Blackwell,  and  D.  Tom  Smith,  all  well-known  early 
pioneers.  I  came  within  one  of  being  the  only  woman  in 
the  outfit,  and  that  one  was  Mrs.  Robinson,  now  living  at 
Dakota  City,  on  the  Cheyenne  river. 

Although  no  Indians  were  encountered  on  the  route, 
every  man  in  the  party,  realizing  that  there  was  danger  all 
along  the  line,  carried  his  arms  upon  his  shoulder  dur- 
ing the  day,  and  slept  with  them  by  his  side  during  the 
night  with  his  cartridge  belts  under  his  hard  pillow. 
Reports  came  thick  and  fast  of  their  atrocious  deeds  near 
the  foot-hills  —  brought  out  by  returning  freighters,  and 
the  numerous  tenderfeet  who  were  leaving  the  Hills  at  the 
time.  On  reaching  Hat  creek  these  alarming  reports  re- 
ceived full  confirmation,  and  we  came  face  to  face  with  the 
perilous  situation.  Curley,  one  of  the  victims  of  the  Col. 
Brown  tragedy,  was  lying  at  the  time  dangerously  wounded, 
in  a  little  log  hut,  at  the  station,  with  but  small  hopes  of 
recovery.  When  it  became  known  that  a  man  was  lying  in  a 
cabin  near  by,  riddled  with  Indian  bullets,  excitement  and 
consternation  spread  through  the  ranks  of  the  expedition, 
especially  along  the  rank  and  file  of  the  two  women  of  the 
party.  The  men,  however,  buckled  on  their  armor  and 
prepared  for  the  worst,  scarcely  daring  to  hope  to  escape 
a  conflict  with  the  redskins.  Every  precaution  being  taken 
to  t^uard  against  surprise,  the  train,  flanked  by  a  line  of 
armed  men,  marched  boldly  on  towards  the  Hills,  preceded 
by  an  advance  guard  of  six  men  —  and  thereby  hangs  a  tale. 
Now,  in  view  of  the  tactics  peculiar  to  Indian  strategy  and 
attack,  an  advance  guard  per  se  may  be  all  right  and  proper, 
but,  when  a  body  of  six  armed  men  persist  in  marching 
in  advance  of  me,  either  at  short  or  long  range,  with  the 
muzzles  of  their  guns  pointed  over  their  shoulders  at  such 
an  an<yle  that,  in  case  of    an  accidental    discharge,    their 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  319 

loads  would  penetrate  my  cranium  just  at  the  point  where 
the  gray  matter  ought  to  be,  it  is  quite  another  thing,  and 
assumes  an  aspect  to  which  I  object  on  purely  humanitarian 
grounds.  It  is  by  no  means  conducive  to  longevity  to  sit 
for  hours  looking  straight  into  the  muzzles  of  six  improved 
Winchester  rifles,  shifting  uneasily  from  this  side  to  that, 
in  a  vain  endeavor  to  get  out  of  range,  and  yet  that  was 
the  exact  position  I  occupied  for  a  while  the  day  we  left 
Hat  Creek  stage  station.  At  the  first  halting  place  our 
wagon,  then  near  the  head  of  the  train,  was  swung  out  of 
line  and  relegated  to  the  rear,  thus  causing  my  vocabulary 
of  adjectives  in  denunciation  of  the  dangerous  practice 
to  become  exhausted.  As  our  train  neared  the  Hills  we 
were  met  every  few  miles  of  the  way  by  outward-bound 
pilgrims,  whose  forlorn  condition  stirred  me  with  deep 
compassion.  It  would  be  difficult,  indeed,  to  picture  a 
more  pathetic  spectacle.  Their  bright  visions  of  suddenly 
acquired  wealth  had  vanished  as  mist  beneath  the  burning 
rays  of  a  tropical  sun,  and  they  were  returning  from  the 
quest  disenchanted,  embittered,  and  many  of  them  desti- 
tute. For  the  mojor  part  their  clothes  were  badly  soiled 
and  worn  ;  and  some  there  were,  alas  !  whose  trousers  were 
literally  patched  with  an  old  flour  sack,  with  "  for  family 
use  "  to  be  seen  on  the  back,  and  a  few  with  sadly  demor- 
alized shoes,  through  which  naked  protruding  toes  bade 
bold  defiance  to  the  untoward  elements,  and  nearly  all 
breathing  bitter  maledictions  aoainst  the  Black  Hills,  as 
well  as  every  person  who  had  the  temerity  to  express  their 
faith  in  them.  Every  man  of  them,  however,  carried  a 
o;un,  as  it  behooved  him  to  do.  Notwithstandinor  these 
discouraging  incidents  along  the  line,  our  belief  in  the 
Black  Hills  remained  unshaken,  and  all  believing  there  was 
better  luck  in  store  for  them,  pressed  gallantly  onward, 
scarcely  venturing  to  look  back.  I,  for  one,  remembering 
the  example  of  Lot's  wife,  was  determined  to  take  no 
chances  on  the  possibility  of  being  speedily  converted  into 
a  "  pillar  of  salt.'' 


320  THE    BLACK    HILLS:    OR, 

On  reaching  the  Cheyenne  river  stage  station  our  sus- 
ceptibilities were  still  farther  harrowed  up  by  seeing  two 
men  engaged  in  exhuming  the  bodies  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Metz,  which  were  being  removed  to  Laramie  City,  Wyom- 
ing, their  former  home,  for  permanent  burial.  One  of  the 
men  was  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Metz. 

In  passing  through  Red  Canyon,  numerous  evidences  of 
the  terrible  tragedies  enacted  there  only  a  few  days  before, 
were  discovered  scattered  along  the  trail,  admonishing  us 
to  be  on  the  sharp  lookout  for  ambushed  Indians.  While 
the  men  manifested  no  great  apprehensions  of  trouble  — 
though  keeping  their  guns  well  in  hand,  I,  on  the  contrary, 
was  in  momentary  expectation  of  an  attack.  Furtively  I 
glanced  from  side  to  side  of  the  defile,  looking  for  the 
plumed  heads  and  cruel  beady  eyes  of  the  savages  peering 
out  at  us  from  behind  the  rocks.  How  could  we  know  but 
at  that  very  time  they  might  be  lurking  behind  the  red 
crags,  or  in  the  narrow  ravines,  waiting  to  swoop  down 
upon  us  at  the  opportune  time,  "  like  wolves  on  the  fold  "  — 
as  they  had  done  twice  within  ten  days  before;  and,  in  the 
light  of  a  subsequent  tragedy,  it  is  believed  they  were  on 
our  trail  even  then. 

Just  as  the  train  emerged  from  the  canyon  the  climax 
came.  At  a  signal  from  one  of  the  vanguards,  the  train 
came  to  a  dead  halt.  The  men  marchino;  alono;  in  the  flanks 
with  guns  pointed  over  their  shoulders  at  the  customary 
dangerous  angle,  unshouldered  their  arms,  and,  grasping 
them  tightly  in  both  hands,  rushed  precipitately  to  a  bank 
overlooking  a  narrow  ravine  ahead.  I  thought  my  worst 
fears  were  realized  and  my  days  numbered.  All  my  past 
shortcomings  and  fast-goings  stood  up  before  me  in  ghostly 
array,  refusing  to  be  laid.  Bang!  bang!  bang!  bang! 
bang  !  went  the  guns,  until  it  seemed  their  magazines  were 
exhausted,  when  they  came  back  in  line,  and  the  train 
moved  on.  When  asked  for  an  explanation  of  their  con- 
duct, they  reported  that  they  had  been  shooting  at  a  deer  ! 
Naturally  enough  I  felt  considerably  chagrined,  at  having 


LAST    HUNTING    GKOUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  321 

been  caused  such  unnecessary  alarm,  but  had  partial  com- 
pensation in  the  knowledf^e,  that  the  poor  deer  escaped  the 
terrible  fusillade  of  bullets  unscathed.  However  I  breathed 
freely  again  and  went  on  sinning  as  before. 

In  due  time  the  train  arrived  at  Custer,  soon  after  which 
it  was  discovered  that  one  of  our  number  was  missing.  A 
small  party  went  back  at  once,  in  search  of  the  missing 
man,  who  was  found  lying  dead  on  the  trail,  surrounded  by 
the  imprint  of  numerous  moccasined  feet,  two  or  three  miles 
back  from  Custer.  It  appeared  that  he  had  lingered  be- 
hind the  train  as  it  neared  Custer,  and  was  shot  down  in 
his  tracks  by  Indian  bullets.  Lying  by  his  side  was  a  belt, 
severed  in  twain,  which  he  had  worn  around  his  waist,  in 
which,  upon  examination,  was  found  concealed  about 
$3,000.00  in  greenbacks,  which  had  escaped  the  scrutiny 
of  the  murderers  and  would-be  robbers.  The  body  was 
conveyed  to  Custer,  where  a  committee  of  inquiry  made  an 
investigation  of  the  case.  Papers  were  found,  which  re- 
vealed his  identity,  his  former  place  of  residence,  and  the 
names  of  relatives,  to  whom,  at  their  request,  his  remains 
and  effects  were  shipped.  The  murdered  man,  whose  name 
was  Leggett,  was  apparently  about  fifty  years  of  age,  and 
evidently  a  man  of  high  respectability. 

It  seems  obvious,  that  this  band  of  red  murderers  had 
watched  and  followed  our  train,  which  perhaps  they 
were  not  strong  enough  to  attack,  and  pounced  upon  the 
unwary  pilgrim  who  had  lingered  behind,  like  beasts  of 
prey  upon  their  victim. 

I  stood  again  upon  the  banks  of  historic  French  creek; 
again  I  looked  at  the  rocky  grandeur  of  the  towering  gran- 
ite battlements,  surrounding  Custer's  Park,  and  once  more 
reveled  amid  the  beauties  of  the  earthly  paradise,  from 
which  we  had  been  so  uncermoniousl}'  expelled  only  a 
short  year  before.  But  how  strangely  metamorphosed  had 
the  scene  become  meanwhile,  to  be  sure !  The  dreamy  little 
stream,  whose  shallow  waters  were  wont  to  gurgle  and 
murmur  peacefully   along  their  pebbly  bed,  without  let  or 

21 


322  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

hindrance,  is  found  diverted  from  its  natural  channel  into 
numerous  prosaic  ditches  and  sluice  boxes,  and  its  valley 
literally  turned  topsy-turvy,  —  shorn  of  all  its  original 
attractiveness. 

But  this  was  not  all.  Where  no  human  habitation  had 
existed  —  not  even  the  most  primitive  kind  of  a  hut,  unless 
perhaps  a  deserted  Indian  tepee  —  we  find  a  populous  city 
reared;  the  pine-covered  hill-tops  had  been  invaded ;  the 
solemn  hush  that  brooded  over  all  had  been  superseded  by 
the  noise  and  din  of  many  human  activities.  Change  was 
plainly  written  upon  the  face  of  the  whole  landscape.  The 
rugged  grandeur  of  the  lofty  jagged  peaks  rising  up  on 
every  side  alone  remained  unchanged  and  unchangeable. 

Impelled  by  a  longing,  in  which,  however,  there  was  but 
little  of  sentiment,  to  have  one  more  look  at  the  old  stock- 
ade and  its  familiar  environments,  one  bright  morning,  soon 
after  the  sun  had  sailed  over  the  naked  crest  of  Calamity 
Park,  I  sallied  out  and  strolled  down  the  valley,  musing 
while  I  strolled,  upon  the  mutability  of  all  things  earthly 
until  coming  in  full  view  of  our  old  stamping  ground. 

Then,  ascending  a  low-timbered  plateau  to  the  left,  I 
stood  upon  the  very  ground  where  our  first  permanent 
camp  was  made  on  the  morning  of  December  24th,  1874, 
when  the  Black  Hills  was  yet  a  howling  wilderness.  It  was 
a  beautiful  sightly  spot,  and  as  I  looked  around  at  each 
familiar  landmark,  I  became  inspired,  in  spite  of  myself, 
with  something  akin  to  sentiment.  I  imagine  I  felt  some- 
what as  did  Rob  Roy,  the  Scottish  outlaw,  on  his  return  to 
his  native  haunts,  when  he  exclaimed,  "  My  feet  are  on  my 
native  heath  and  my  name  is  McGregor." 

Although  having  been  divested  of  much  of  its  crowning 
beauty — the  great  pine  trees — the  topography  of  the  ground 
was  well  remembered,  and  I  found  no  difiiculty  in  locating 
almost  the  exact  spots  where  our  respective  tents  had  been 
pitched.  Yes,  here  is  the  spot  where  our  gorgeous  striped 
tent,  a  thing  of  beauty  and  of  pride,  went  up  in  smoke; 
and  over  there  is  where  the  pilfering  little  donkey  turned 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  323 

his  vicious  heels  upon  a  defenseless  woman  while  heroically 
endeavoring  to  rescue  from  his  jaws  the  "grub"  of  a 
comrade,  —  thus  defeating  her  noble  purpose.  That  first 
donkey  in  the  Bhick  Hills,  by  the  way,  was  a  true  philoso- 
pher, there's  no  doubt  about  that.  His  motto  was,  "  All 
things  will  come  to  those  who  watch  and  wait,"  —  a  motto 
which  he  lived  up  to  both  in  theory  and  practice  during  his 
connection  with  the  expedition. 

Leaving  the  "  old  camp  ground  "  I  sauntered  down  to 
the  stockade  on  the  left  bank  of  French  creek,  approached 
the  wide-open  gate  and  looked  in.  After  hesitating  a  few 
moments  to  consider  the  propriety  or  impropriety  of  entering 
the  inclosure  unbidden,  I  promptly  decided  that,  inasmuch 
as  I  held  a  sort  of  proprietary  interest  in  the  property,  I 
would  be  justified,  from  a  moral,  if  not  a  legal  stand- 
point, in  going  boldly  in  and  making  myself  generally  at 
home.  So,  acting  on  that  conclusion,  in  I  went,  finding, 
however,  no  one  to  welcome  me  back.  Two  of  the  cabins 
were  found  tenanted — as  evidenced  by  the  padlocked 
doors  —  proof  positive  that  their  occupants  were  not  at 
home.  After  a  hasty  inspection  of  the  inner  works  of  the 
fortification,  I  went  the  rounds  of  the  vacant  cabins,  all  of 
which,  to  a  more  or  less  extent,  were  fast  becoming  wrecks, 
more  the  result  of  careless  tenantry  than  of  time. 

The  little  cabin  with  a  wing  had  altogether  outlived  its 
usefulness,  being  no  longer  even  habitable;  its  former 
glory  had  forever  departed.  The  picturesque  chimney  — 
whose  exact  counterpart  I  challenge  any  one  to  find  in  the 
annals  of  chimney  architecture  —  built  originally  of  sticks, 
stones,  mud,  and  things  —  had  become  disintegrated,  and 
was  fast  crumbling  into  a  heap  of  ruins;  the  dirt  roof 
in  many  places  let  in  the  snow  as  well  as  "  the  sunshine 
and  the  rain."  The  little  square  opening  for  a  window  was 
still  there,  but  the  flour  sack  curtain,  inscribed  with  the 
gaudy  legend,  was  gone.  There  was  the  small  opening  be- 
tween the  wing  and  the  main  edifice,  through  which  our 
next  door  neighbor  was  wont  to  look  with  intense  eves  of 


324  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

dark  portent,  when  he  wanted  the  loan  of  a  kettle  in  which 
to  boil  his  beans  and  his  venison,  —  and  strangely  enough 
some  of  the  large  stone  slabs,  so  artistically  laid  for  a 
hearth,  had  not  been  disturbed. 

I  bethought  me  to  look  into  the  little  excavation  where  I 
had  seen  my  trunk  deposited  on  the  day  of  our  explusion 
from  the  Black  Hills,  but  the  trunk  was  gone,  and  its 
place  occupied  by  a  pair  of  cast-off' rubber  boots  and  other 
rubbish.  Of  course,  I  wasn't  looking  for  old  boots.  I 
did  not  care  nor  dare  to  linger  long  in  the  tumble-down 
structure,  lest  the  whole  fabric  might  collapse,  all  at  once, 
like  the  deacon's  "  one-horse  shay,"  so  turning  away  with 
the  faintest  suggestion  of  a  pang,  I  left  the  old  stockade 
and  made  my  way  back  to  Custer.  Heigh-ho  !  —  after  all 
there  is  something  sad  in  turning  one's  back  upon  old  asso- 
ciations, be  they  never  so  unpleasant. 

The  next  day  —  after  a  stay  of  two  weeks  in  Custer  — 
waiting,  Micawber-like,  for  something  to  "  turn  up,"  we 
followed  the  great  hegira  to  Dead  wood.  En  route  we 
passed  through  a  veritable  "  deserted  village,"  of  about 
twenty-five  or  thirty  log  cabins — the  whilom  booming 
mining  camp  at  Hill  City  on  Spring  creek.  Not  a  human 
being  was  visible,  and  no  smoke  curled  up  from  the  rude 
chimneys,  nor  other  sign  to  indicate  human  occupancy. 
There  was  no  sign  of  animal  life,  save  one  solitary  dog, 
that  rushed  out  from  the  shadow  of  a  distant  cabin  and 
barked  dismally  at  our  little  train  as  it  passed  through  — 
possibly  his  master  was  not  far  away.  On  reaching  Eliza- 
bethtown,  on  Whitewood  creek,  we  came  suddenly  upon  a 
scene  of  wonderful  placer  mining  activity.  Numerous 
miners  along  the  gulch  were  eagerly  delving  in  the  earth 
in  search  of  the  "pay  streak;"  some  merely  prospecting 
with  gold-pans;  others  testing  the  gravel  through  the  me- 
dium of  the  primitive  rocker  ;  while  a  few  anxious  for 
larger  and  more  speedy  results  had  already  adopted  the  more 
profitable  method  of  sluicing.  On  glancing  up  the  gulch 
the  way  appeared  to  be  completely  blocked  by  a  chaos  of 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  325 

sluice-boxes,  boulders,  dumps  of  gravel,  or  tailings,  etc., 
but,  by  dint  of  careful  driving  and  closely  hugging  the  hill 
on  the  right,  we  finally  succeeded  in  reaching  Deadwood  — 
then  in  its  swaddling  clothes  —  about  May  22d,  1876. 

Even  at  that  early  date  in  the  history  of  that  great  min- 
ing camp,  quite  a  little  village  had  sprung  into  existence  at 
the  point  where  the  mineral-impregnated  waters  of  Dead- 
wood  and  Whitewood  creeks  come  together,  this  collection 
being  composed  of  nearly  two  score  of  hastily  constructed  log 
cabins  interspersed  with  numerous  tents,  pitched  here  and 
there  without  regard  to  regularity.  These  cabins,  built 
along  the  main  street  of  the  town,  were  designed  for  tem- 
porary use  as  places  of  business,  where  the  various  kinds 
of  traffic  peculiar  to  mining  camps  were  already  in  full 
operation,  notably,  places  where  eatables  and  drinkables  — 
chiefly  drinkables  ■ —  were  freely  vended  to  hungry  and 
thirsty  miners,  prospectors,  freighters,  and  numerous 
trusting  tenderfeet  who  were  daily  arriving  in  that  promis- 
ing camp. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  previous  exodus  of  hundreds 
of  disgusted  gold-seekers  had  little  deterrent  effect  upon  the 
great  human  tide  flowing  inward  to  the  new  camp.  The  be- 
lief in  individual  luck  is  so  deeply  implanted  in  the  heart  of 
every  seeker  after  gold  that  each  expects  himself  to  succeed 
and  every  other  fellow  to  fail. 

A    PERSONAL    REMINISCENCE. 

I  have  good  reason  to  remember  the  time  and  circum- 
stances of  my  first  visit  to  Deadwood,  as  the  following  bit 
of  personal  experience  will  plainly  show,  —  an  experience, 
indeed,  which  I  would  not  care  to  have  repeated  :  — 

Upon  our  arrival  at  the  embryonic  city  of  Deadwood, 
the  first  subject  for  consideration  was,  of  course,  a  place 
for  temporary  shelter  for  ourselves  and  household  belong- 
ings. An  active  search  for  such  a  place,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  resulted  in  failure,  as  every  cabin  and  tent 
was    full    to    overflowincf.     What    was  to  be  done?     The 


326  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

aspect  of  the  situation  was  not  pleasant  to  contemplate,  in- 
volving, as  it  did,  the  alternative  of  living  within  the  nar- 
row limits  of  a  canvas-covered  wagon  or  out  in  the  open, 
exposed  to  the  elements  and  the  curious  gaze  of  the  motley 
crowds,  without  even  the  shelter  of  a  tent,  our  tent  having 
been  cremated  on  French  creek  as  before  stated.  Happily, 
in  this  emergency  our  attention  was  attracted  to  a  partly 
finished  cabin,  whose  roof  was  covered  with  boards  having 
wide  interstices  between,  and  about  eight  or  ten  square 
feet  of  which  was  overlaid  with  shakes  (a  substitute  for 
shingles)  with  no  floor  save  terra  Jirma.  This  skeleton 
structure  was  located  on  the  south  side  of  the  main  and 
only  thoroughfare  of  the  new  town,  in  close  juxtapo- 
sition to  —  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  was  an  addition  to  —  a 
place  where  various  kinds  of  stimulating  beverages  were 
daily  and  nightly  exchanged  for  an  equivalent  in  gold  dust. 
A  very  quiet  and  orderly  place  of  its  kind,  too,  it  turned 
out  to  be,  and  the  headquarters  of  Capt.  Jack  Crawford, 
the  famous  scout,  whose  occasional  presence  about  the 
establishment  threw  around  it,  in  my  mind,  an  atmos- 
sphere  of  respectability. 

A  little  below  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  narrow  street 
was  another  resort,  engaged  in  the  same  kind  of  daily  and 
nightly  traffic,  with  the  very  suggestive  name  of  "  The 
Nugget"  printed  in  the  most  alluring  colors  above  the 
door.  Notwithstanding;  the  limitations  and  local  environ- 
ments  of  this  unfinished  cabin,  which,  by  the  kindness  and 
courtesy  of  its  proprietor,  was  placed  at  our  disposal  for  a 
week,  free  of  rent,  as  it  appeared  to  be  the  only  alterna- 
tive, our  effects  were  at  once  transferred  to  the  small  area 
beneath  the  shingled  portion  of  the  roof,  and  this  is  what 
happened.  The  morning  of  the  second  day  found  me, 
with  the  exception  of  a  small  boy  of  ten  years,  the  sole 
occupant  of  this  exposed  habitation,  the  result  of  a  stampede 
to  locate  a  town-site  in  the  valley  of  the  Spearfish.  Yet  if 
the  elements  had  not  gone  on  a  rampage,  all  might  have 
been  well,  but    during    the    day  there  came  up  a  furious 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    UAKOTAHS.  327 


CAPT.   JACK   CKAWFORD,    THE    POET-SCOUT. 


328  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

thunder-storm,  such  a  one  as  used  to  send  rae  flying  to 
cover  in  a  dark  closet  or  under  a  smothering  feather  bed, 
when  a  child. 

The  day  had  been  excessively  warm  and  sultry,  pre- 
saging the  storm  which  later  came  in  all  its  fury.  Early 
in  the  afternoon  the  dark,  threatening  clouds  began  to 
gather  in  the  west,  spreading  until  the  whole  visible  sky 
was  overcast;  soon  the  chain-lightning  began  to  play 
fantastic  freaks  among  the  black  clouds  hovering  over  the 
mountain  crests  to  the  north  and  west;  then  in  a  few 
minutes,  while  I  was  anxiously  watching  the  grand  elec- 
trical display,  hoping  against  hope  that  the  threatened 
storm  might  blow  over,  there  came  a  sudden  blinding  flash, 
followed  instantly  by  a  terrific  thunderbolt,  that  shook  the 
earth  and  burst  open  the  flood-gates  overhead,  letting  the 
rain  come  down  in  vast  torrents.  Flash  after  flash,  peal 
after  peal  from  heaven's  artillery  followed  in  rapid  succes- 
sion; the  wind  rose,  blowing  in  great  slanting  shafts  of 
water  through  the  various  openings,  until  bed,  clothing,  in 
fact  everything  in  the  inclosure,  was  drenched.  For 
once,  at  least,  I  was  not  figuratively  but  literally  in  the 
swim.  In  about  an  hour  the  storm  came  to  an  end  —  as 
all  things  will  —  and  settled  down  into  a  drizzling  rain 
which  continued  far  into  the  night.  Often,  and  anxiously, 
during  that  dreadful  afternoon  I  looked  heavenward  for  a 
blue  rift  in  the  leaden  sky,  but  in  vain.  Night  came  on 
apace,  and  such  a  night!  Chilled  and  wet  we  crept  into 
our  damp  bed,  where,  after  hours  of  wakefulness,  praying 
meanwhile,  that  the  clouds  might  disappear  with  the  night, 
1  finally  slept  the  profound  sleep  of  the  just.  As  if  in 
answer  to  the  secret  petition,  the  following  morning 
dawned  bright  and  clear  ;  the  sun  beamed  down  with  such 
cheerful  radiance  that  the  misery  of  the  night  before  was 
almost  forgotten. 

Soon  after  the  rising  of  the  sun  I  slipped  out  of  my  wet 
pack,  and  by  a  good  deal  of  active  skirmishing  around  the 
premises  for  something  combustible  I  soon  had  a  rousing 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     329 

fire,  before  which  quilts,  blankets,  wearing  apparel,  etc., 
were  hung  up  to  dry,  and  from  which  clouds  of  steam 
floated  upward  to  be  condensed  for  the  next  dovvnfall. 
While  seated  on  a  dry  goods  box,  enveloped  in  the  ample 
folds  of  a  bed  quilt,  watching  the  interesting  process  of 
evaporation,  and  meditating  on  thegravityof  the  situation, 
I  was  startled  from  my  reverie  by  a  loud  knock  at  the 
door.  What  was  to  be  done?  I  was  truly  in  an  unpleas- 
ant dilemma.  Of  course,  I  could  not  receive  visitors 
wrapped  in  a  bed  quilt,  and  without  the  quilt  I  couldn't  — 
well,  you  all  know  how  one  feels  when  inadequately  attired. 
By  a  sort  of  dumb  alphabet,  I  enjoined  profound  silence 
on  the  part  of  the  small  boy  —  threatening  dire  punishment 
in  case  it  was  broken.  Another  series  of  raps  —  louder 
than  before.  In  sheer  desperation,  I  called  out  in  a  high 
falsetto  key,  "  Yes,  in  a  minute!  "  Throwing  aside  my 
wrap,  I  hastily  and  nervously  donned  a  half-dried  garment, 
which  took  about  five  minutes  instead  of  one,  and  called 
out  again,  "Come  in!  "  Promptly  obeying  ray  mandate 
they  came  in,  when  through  the  ascending  steam  I  recog- 
nized Capt.  C.  V.  Gardner  and  H.  N.  Gilbert  —  the  latter 
our  traveling  companion  on  the  trip  into  the  Hills.  How 
glad  I  was  to  see  familiar  and  friendly  faces  !  So  over- 
joyed indeed  was  I  that  I  came  dangerously  near  commit- 
ting the  grave  indiscretion  of  falling  upon  their  necks  and 
embracing  them  then  and  there.  However,  resolutely  re- 
pressing that  inclination,  I  greeted  them  with  tears  of  joy 
in  my  eyes  and  I  fear  with  rather  a  sickly  smile  on  my  lips. 
After  a  hasty  survey  of  the  damp  premises,  and  with  a 
look  of  commiseration  in  his  eyes,  Capt.  Gardner  inquired: 
"What's  the  matter  here?  What  does  all  this  mean?" 
"  Oh,  it  means  that  we  were  treated  to  a  generous  shower 
bath  yesterday,  free  of  charge  ;  that,  and  nothing  more," 
I  answered. 

"  Well,  well,"  said  he,  "  this  is  ad  —  downright  shame." 
Yes,  d  —  stands  for  downright.  "Of  course  it  is,"  I 
assented,  "  its   disgraceful,  its   dreadful,  its  worse   than  a 


330  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

battle  with  the  Sioux  Indians."  I  said  I  thought  it  merited 
the  whole  category  of  d — s. 

*'  This  will  never  do,"  said  the  Captain,  •'  You  must  get 
out  of  this  place  as  soon  as  possible."  Well,  in  less  than 
the  stipulated  time,  we  vacated  the  place  and  moved  into 
a  small  log  cabin  at  the  base  of  the  hill  on  Williams  street, 
where  we  remained  during  the  summer  of  1876. 

Although  our  temporary  abode  on  Main  street  furnished 
but  small  physical  comfort,  it  had  its  advantage  in  that  it 
afforded  an  excellent  point  of  vantage,  from  which  to  see 
Deadwood  in  all  its  early  picturesqueness.  To  be  sure,  the 
great  rush  was  not  yet  at  its  flood,  yet  there  was  already 
enough  excitement  to  make  things  exceedingly  lively  in 
the  big  mining  camp,  and  the  rush  and  push  of  hustling  up 
buildings  on  every  side;  the  numerous  emigrant  wagons, 
and  pack  animals  loaded  with  blankets,  mining  tools,  etc., 
that  crowded  the  narrow  thoroughfare;  and  the  hundreds 
of  eager  jostling  fortune-hunters,  rushing  up  and  down  the 
street,  and  in  and  out  between  the  wagons,  contributed  no 
end  of  amusing  diversion,  in  all  of  which,  however,  there 
was  a  world  of  pathos,  —  in  view  of  the  almost  certainty, 
that  at  least  nine-tenths  of  the  expectant  throng  were 
doomed  to  crushing  disappointment. 

Incidentally,  too.  Main  street  was  the  theater  of  an  occa- 
sional farce-comedy,  which  added  spice  and  variety  to  the 
scene,  to  one  of  which  I  was  an  unvoluntary,  though  inter- 
ested witness.  One  day  while  at  my  point  of  observation, 
I  saw  a  coatless,  hatless,  unkempt,  red-headed  man  —  with 
only  one  suspender — well,  I  sized  him  up  as  a  "  whacker,"  — 
rush  headlong  out  of  the  "  Nugget  "  across  the  way,  closely 
followed  by  a  man  of  sanguinary  aspect,  holding  a  six- 
shooter  in  his  right  hand,  and  hurling  all  sorts  of  billings- 
gate after  the  fleeing  offender.  The  red-headed  man 
dodged  behind  a  wagon  that  providentially  stood  near  by; 
thus  escaping  immediate  danger.  The  pursued  and  the 
pursuer  played  a  game  of  hide-and-go-seek  around  the 
wagon  for  several  minutes,  when  some    bystanders  inter- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


331 


fered  and  put  an  end  to  the  exhibition.  This  is  only  one 
of  many  similar  exhibitions  witnessed  in  1876,  but  one  is 
plenty. 

In  casting  about  here  and  there  up  and  down  the  nar- 
row auriferous  gulches  from  Gayville  to  Elizabethtown 
and  below,  it  was  found  that  every  square  yard  of  pay- 
gravel,  from  rim  to  rim,  along  the  entire  length  of  the 
gulch,  was  already  claimed  and  staked  off  by  the  wide-awake 
miners,  who  metaphorically  took  time  by  the  forelock,  and 
hastened  to  the  new  discovery  at  the  first  report,  thus 
securing  claims  from  which  many  reaped  fortunes —  while 
the  unlucky  ones  who  dawdled  away  two  weeks  of  precious 
time  waiting  for  something  to  "  turn  up  "  lost  a  golden 
opportunity. 

'*  Of  all  sad  words  of  tongue  or  pen 

The  saddest  are  these,  It  might  have  been." 


332  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XXIY. 

PLA.CER  MINING  IN'  DEADWOOD  GULCH  IN  1876. 

As  soon  as  the  iilluring  notes  of  the  golden  tocsin  pro- 
claiming the  tidings  of  rich  auriferous  placer  discoveries 
in  the  northern  Hills,  sounded  far  and  wide,  and  echoed 
through  the  remote  valleys  and  gulches  of  the  Black  Hills, 
the  news  created  a  furore,  such  as  had  not,  perhaps,  been 
exceeded  since  the  exciting  days  of  '49.  Deadvvood  then, 
instead  of  Custer,  became  the  "  Mecca  "  of  gold-hunters 
from  all  parts  of  the  land,  Montana,  Colorado,  and  even 
the  great  gold  State  of  California,  contributing  their  quota 
to  swell  the  human  tide. 

All  trails  through  the  Hills,  lined  with  pack  outfits 
galore,  led  to  the  new  diggings  in  the  north.  French, 
Spring,  Rapid,  and  Castle  creeks  and  their  tributaries, 
where,  prior  to  this  time,  placer  mining  had  been  carried  on 
with  a  fair  degree  of  success,  became  practically  deserted. 
The  nuggets  of  Bear  Gulch  and  "  Nigger  Hill,"  —  in  the 
light  of  the  new  discovery,  lost  their  power  to  dazzle  and 
were  temporarily  abandoned.  And  what  was  the  result? 
Unfortunately,  the  new  diggings  were  not  so  extensive  as 
they  were  rich,  consequently  hundreds,  after  a  gallant  but 
vain  scramble  to  secure  a  plum  from  the  plump  golden  pie, 
returned  to  their  abandoned  claims,  presumably  well  satis- 
fied with  making  from  five  to  ten  dollars  per  day  to  the 
man. 

Moral:    Let  well  enough  alone. 

Soon  every  claim  worth  having  above  Gayville,  on  Dead- 
wood  and  tributary  gulches,  down  nearly  to  Crook  City, 
on  Whitewood  gulch,  was  located  and  staked,  cleared  of 
its   dead   timber  and  dense  undergrowth,  ready  for  opera- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


333 


tion.  From  April,  through  the  summer  and  fall  of  1876, 
the  work  of  uncovering  and  washing  out  the  golden  prod- 
uct of  Deadwood,  Whitewood,  Gold  Run,  Black  Tail,  and 
Bob-Tail  gulches  was  vigorously  prosecuted,  from  which 
vast  quantities    of    gold-dust  were  taken  —  the  aggregate 


NO.    4,   ABOVE   DISCOVERY,    ON   DEADWOOD. 


production  from  these  gulches  during  the  year  reaching  up 
into  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 

It  has  been  impossible  to  ascertain  —  as  a  matter  of  fact 
no  one  has  ever  known  —  even  approximately  the  amount 
taken  from  these  rich  placer  deposits,  and  a  conjecture 
would    be  hazardous,  as   it   might  prove  very  wide   of  the 


334  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

mark.  However,  it  has  been  variously  estimated,  by  intel- 
ligent, practical  miners  and  close  observers  of  placer 
mining  operations  of  that  day,  that  from  $3,000,000  to 
$4,000,000  in  gold-dust  were  sluiced  from  the  aforesaid 
gulches  during  the  years  1876-7,  these  estimates  being 
based  upon  the  daily  clean-ups  of  certain  individual  claims. 
It  is  stated  by  those  who  were  in  a  position  to  judge  that 
daily  clean-ups  of  from  one  to  two  thousand  dollars  from 
several  claims  on  Deadwood  and  a  few  on  Whitewood  gulch 
was  no  uncommon  occurrence,  from  which  it  is  safe  to  con- 
clude that  the  above  estimates  of  the  aggregate  product 
of  those  gulches  is  not  excessive. 

That  the  stories  told  of  those  wonderful  daily  clean-ups 
were  not  fairy  tales  nor  the  result  of  an  exuberant  fancy, 
but  a  glittering  reality,  I  am  quite  prepared  to  believe,  for 
have  not  mine  eyes  often  in  those  days  feasted  on  the 
great  piles  of  yellow  gold  mixed  with  a  little  black  sand, 
left  in  the  miners'  gold-pans  after  the  lighter  material  was 
washed  off?  And  did  I  not  as  often  break  the  divine 
mandate  written  by  the  finger  of  God  on  the  tables  of 
stone  on  the  mount:  "Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neigh- 
bor's goods?"     I  stand  self-condemned. 

Among  the  large  producing  claims  on  Deadwood  gulch 
were  No.  2,  operated  by  Wheeler  brothers;  Nos.  4  and  5 
below  Discovery,  owned  by  Chisholm  brothers  and  sold 
to  Robert  Neill  for  $2,200  after  a  large  fortune  had  been 
realized  from  the  claims  ;  Nos.  14  and  15  below,  owned  by 
Robert  Kenyon;  "  Discovery  Claim,"  purchased  by  John 
Hildebrand  from  the  original  locator;  No.  1  below,  located 
by  Ed.  Murphy;  No.  9  below,  located  by  Jack  McAleer, 
and  numerous  others,  perhaps  equally  productive.  The 
largest  producing  claim  on  Whitewood  gulch  was  what 
was   known  as  the  Bostwick  mines,  below  Elizabethtown. 

Active  sluicing  operations  in  those  gulches,  which  began 
about  the  middle  of  April,  were  at  first  considerably 
retarded  by  the  lack  of  lumber  for  the  construction  of 
sluice  boxes,  which,  in  the  absence  of  sawmills,  had  to  be 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


335 


manufactured  by  hand,  by  the  slow  and  tedious  method 
of  what  is  called  whipsawing.  This  handicap,  however, 
was  soon  removed  by  the  establishment  of  sawmills,  three 
of  which  were,  early  in  June,  in  full  operation  and  produc- 
ing lumber  at  the  rate  of  32,000  feet  per  day  —  Judge  E.  G. 


\ 

^^^^K^'"-'*' 

"■'             •'  ; « 

^ 

wSt^^^ 

.7  ^r 

.    \ 

^J:^  \  r^ 

bfetlMt,.^ 

fc-'N^:» 

■  ■•:' : ^rr^§&3^C   ■ ' '  . "  ■ 

*  ^  -^;          '.  9»c  .■.'." 

'•-/'■;-"''" 

^H^                       VI 

-      :.-Jf.    ■      ■        « 

j^sHI^^^Hc^                               r^^^l^^l 

y.,     ......... 

r^f^j&y-  ■  ■  .>                 .A?**-.r-rj,..i«»^  •>-;.,.  .                 1 

CABIN    ON   CLAIM   NO.    2,    DEADWOOD    GULCH. 


Dudley's  mill,  in  East  Deadwood,  turning  out  about  12,000 
feet  per  day,  Street  &  Thompson's  and  Boughton  & 
Berry's  mills,  located  below  Montana,  producing  10,000 
feet  per  day  each.  Boughton  &  Berry's  mill  was  later 
removed  to  South  Deadwood. 


336  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

"  PLACER    MINING    PROCESSES." 

The  attention  of  prospectors  on  their  arrival  in  a  new 
gold  field  is  at  once  directed  to  its  auriferous  placer  deposits : 
first,  because  they  are  a  pretty  certain  index  of  the  richness 
of  the  gold-bearing  ledges,  from  which  by  natural  processes 
they  have  been  liberated ;  second,  because  in  ordinary 
operations  little  capital  save  that  of  willing  hands  and  stout 
arms  is  needed  to  remove  them  from  their  hiding-places, 
and  by  various  interesting  methods  convert  them  into  com- 
mercial values.  These  deposits  are  found  by  digging  down 
to  the  floor  or  bedrock  of  the  gulch,  to  which,  by  virtue  of 
its  specific  gravity,  the  gold  has  sifted,  or  in  bars  of  gold- 
laden  gravel  along  the  courses  of  streams,  and,  strangely 
enough,  in  some  portions  of  the  Black  Hills  —  notably 
along  the  borders  of  Castle  creek  —  placer  gold  and  wash 
gravel  have  been  found  on  the  tops  of  high  hills.  How 
they  came  there,  I  shall  not  undertake  to  explain,  not  being 
a  geologist. 

Some  geologists  would  say,  perhaps,  that  they  were  car- 
ried or  pushed  along  with  the  rock  and  debris  by  the  early 
glaciers  on  their  long,  slow  journey  down  from  the  regions 
of  perpetual  ice,  and  left  high  and  dry  upon  our  hill-tops; 
others  might  advance  some  other  occult  theory.  However, 
as  it  is  not  the  province  of  history  to  deal  in  theories,  but 
in  facts,  let  it  suflSce  to  say  that  the  fact  remains  as  above 
stated,  which  goes  to  show  that  the  oft-repeated  aphorism 
that  gold  is  where  you  find  it,  is  peculiarly  applicable  to 
the  Black  Hills. 

After  the  deposit  has  been  discovered  and  tested  through 
the  medium  of  the  pick,  shovel,  and  gold-pan,  the  first 
great  requisite  for  sluicing — which  is  the  method  that  has 
been  most  extensively  employed  in  the  Black  Hills  — is  an 
ample  supply  of  water,  without  which  the  richest  deposits 
are  comparatively  valueless;  then  comes  the  construction 
of  a  ditch  for  carrying  the  necessary  supply  of  water  from 
some  point  above  to  the  place  where  it  is  turned  into  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  337 

sluice.  Sometimes  a  combination  of  claim  owners  unite  to 
build  the  ditch,  the  water  to  be  used  in  common,  in  which 
case  gates  are  made  through  which  to  divert  the  water 
from  the  main  canal  or  ditch  to  the  head  of  each  individual 
claim  ;  sometimes  the  water  is  leased  to  other  miners  who 
have  no  interest  in  the  enterprise. 

In  the  meantime  sluices  have  been  constructed,  the  sluice 
consisting  of  several  oblong,  open  boxes,  eighteen  inches 
high  and  about  two  feet  wide,  at  the  bottom  of  which  are 
nailed  cleats  (called  riffles)  at  short  intervals  to  catch  the 
gold,  and  at  the  end  of  the  series  of  boxes  a  piece  of  cloth, 
called  an  apron,  is  sometimes  attached  to  save  the  particles 
that  are  washed  over  the  riffles.  A  little  quicksilver  is 
then  frequently  poured  into  the  boxes  above  the  riffles  to 
attract  the  gold,  when  the  work  of  sluicing  is  ready  to 
begin.  The  gate  is  then  opened  and  the  water  glides 
through  a  channel  dug  for  the  purpose  into  the  sluice;  at 
first  it  goes  rippling  musically  over  the  riffles,  then  dashes 
gaily  down  the  slightly  inclined  plane,  and  out  at  the 
opposite  end  of  the  sluice,  where  it  is  again  turned  into 
the  main  ditch  to  be  utilized  on  the  claim  below,  or  into 
the  channel  of  the  stream,  as  the  case  may  be. 
.  A  man  is  stationed  at  the  head  of  the  sluice  to  shovel 
the  gravel  from  the  dump  into  the  sluice  box  ;  another  man 
armed  with  a  many-tined  fork  is  placed  at  the  lower  end  of 
the  sluice  to  remove  the  pebbles  and  gravel  that  are  washed 
down,  while  a  third  or  middle  man,  also  provided  with  a 
fork,  is  employed  in  removing  obstacles  from  the  boxes  all 
along  the  line.  Every  night,  or  at  longer  intervals,  as 
may  seem  necessary,  there  is  had  what  is  called  a  clean-up. 
The  water  is  turned  off,  and  the  accumulation  of  gold, 
black  sand,  and  gravel  is  carefully  scraped  from  the  riffles 
and  the  apron  at  the  lower  extremity  of  the  sluice  into  a 
gold  pan,  and  then  taken  to  a  stream  of  water  near  by, 
where  the  gravel  and  sand  for  the  most  part  are  washed  off. 
This  operation  requires  a  good  deal  of  skill  and  dexterity, 
and  not   everyone   can   do  it  successfully  —  the   particles 

22 


338  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

of  gold  being  liable  to  float  out  with  the  grosser  substances, 
unless  saved  by  the  dexterous  hand  of  an  expert.  All  this 
done,  behold  !  as  a  result,  $2,000  of  gold  dust,  gold  scales,, 
and  often  gold  nuggets  in  the  pan.  This  is  then  taken  to 
the  miner's  cabin  and  divested  of  all  dross,  when  it  is  ready 
for  commercial  exchange. 

Where  the  water  supply  is  inadequate  for  sluicing  pur- 
poses, the  old  method  of  washing  out  the  gold  by  "  rock- 
ing "  is  resorted  to.  The  rocker,  though  an  ancient  ap- 
pliance for  washing  out  gold,  is  really  a  very  ingenious 
contrivance,  and  deserves  to  occupy  a  conspicuous  niche  in 
placer  mining  history  as  well  as  a  warm  place  in  the 
affections  of  placer  miners.  It  has  been  the  accommo- 
dating agent  through  which  many  a  stranded  miner  has 
secured  a  "grub  stake"  when  away  from  his  base  of 
supplies.  This  time-honored  afiair,  which  consists  of  a  box 
mounted  on  a  pair  of  rockers,  is  operated  on  the  principle 
of  a  child's  cradle.  A  succession  of  sieves,  graduating 
in  texture,  are  arranged  on  a  slight  incline  in  the  box  — 
on  the  bottom  of  which  are  nailed  tiny  riffles  which  catch 
the  gold  that  makes  its  way  through  the  meshes  of  the 
sieves.  Two  men  are  required  to  operate  a  rocker  —  one 
shovels  the  gravel  in  at  the  top,  the  other  dips  up  the 
water  with  a  long-handled  dipper  and  pours  it  on  the 
gravel  with  his  right  hand,  while  with  his  left  he  rocks  his 
cradle  —  not  to  a  lullaby  song,  but  to  the  music  of  the 
water  as  it  percolates  through  the  gravel,  from  sieve  to 
sieve,  and  flows  out  through  a  spout  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
incline. 

The  rocker  is  a  portable  concern,  and  can  be  easily 
loaded  onto  a  wheel-barrow  and  transported  from  place  to 
place,  wherever  there  chances  to  be  a  pool  of  water,  and 
pay  gravel  to  operate  upon.  This  process  was  extensively 
used  in  washing  out  the  wonderfully  rich  deposits  of 
Kockerville,  where  to-day  good  wages  are  made  through 
the  medium  of  the  despised  rocker. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  339 

HYDRAULIC    PLACER    MINES. 

Another  method  somewhat  similar  to  ordinary  sluicing, 
but  on  a  far  more  extensive  scale,  that  has  been  employed 
to  some  extent  in  the  Black  Hills,  is  the  hydraulic  pro- 
cess. Ill  hydraulic  mining,  as  in  sluicing,  the  first  requisite 
is,  of  course,  the  auriferous  deposits  to  be  operated  upon. 
These  are  found  as  before  stated,  but  the  high  bar  deposit 
will  be  taken  to  illustrate  the  modus  operandi.  As  these 
bars  are  not  of  a  solid  rock  formation,  but  accretions  of 
earth,  gravel  and  boulders  —  mixed  with  the  gold  or  other 
mineral  that  has  been  liberated,  by  the  action  of  mountain 
torrents,  and  other  agencies  from  veins  or  ledges  above, 
and  washed  down  and  distributed  in  the  soil  of  the  valley 
or  deposited  in  bars,  they  are  easily  broken  and  disinte- 
grated, when  exposed  to  the  action  of  a  sufficient  head  of 
water.     Then  the  mining  ditches  must  be  built. 

These  waterways  are  made  by  diverting  the  streams  from 
their  natural  channels,  at  some  point  high  enough  above 
the  mines  to  afford  the  requisite  fall,  and  conveying  it  by 
ditch  and  flume,  sometimes  many  miles  along  the  hill-sides  ; 
around  or  through  jutting  rocks  and  across  deep  ravines, 
where  it  is  supported  by  trestle  work,  to  the  place  where 
the  water  is  to  be  utilized.  The  water  is  then  conducted 
from  the  main  reservoir  or  flume  through  a  pipe  which 
connects  at  the  lower  end  with  a  strong  wooden  or  cast- 
iron  box,  provided  with  several  openings  to  which  are 
attached  smaller  pipes,  these  being  again  connected  with 
flexible  rubber  or  canvas  hose,  which  can  be  turned  in  any 
direction,  terminating  in  nozzles  with  orifices  from  one  and 
a  half  to  three  inches  in  diameter.  A  wide  sluice  is  then 
made,  which  carries  off  the  loosened  material  from  the 
mine  or  bar  operated  upon,  into  sluice-boxes  provided 
with  riffles  after  the  method  of  ordinary  sluicing. 

Men  are  stationed  at  the  nozzle  to  manipulate  the  hose, 
and  a  very  uncomfortable  position  it  seems  from  my  point 
of  view,  upon  the  one  and  only  occasion  on  which  I  wit- 


340  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

iiessed  the  process,  then  the  floodgate,  which  is  usually 
many  miles  above,  is  opened,  and  the  water  under  a  power- 
ful pressure  rushes  down  through  ditch,  flume,  and  pipe, 
with  an  ever-increasing  momentum  into  the  box  or  bulk- 
head, then  through  the  distributing  pipes  into  the  hose, 
and  out  at  the  orifices  with  the  tremendous  force  of  a  bat- 
tering ram.  Continuous  streams  of  water  are  directed 
through  the  nozzles  at  the  base  of  the  bar,  undermining  it, 
thus  causing  the  overhanging  mass  to  fall  to  the  base,  where 
by  the  powerful  action  of  the  water  it  is  broken  apart  and 
washed  down  into  the  sluice;  great  boulders  weighing  tons 
are  swept  down  the  slope  and  toyed  with  as  if  they  were 
tiny  pebbles.  The  water  flows  away  down  the  slope,  leav- 
ing the  larger  boulders  and  the  coarser  gold  on  bed-rock, 
while  the  finer  gold  is  carried  along  with  the  earth  and 
gravel  through  the  sluice  boxes,  where  it  is  caught  in  the 
rifties.  It  goes  without  saying  that  the  clean-ups  must  be 
something  vast,  if  the  deposits  are  rich,  when  the  amount 
of  material  that  passes  through  the  sluices  is  taken  into 
consideration. 

In  hydraulic  mining  it  would  seem  to  be  essential  that 
the  men  employed  should  possess  wonderful  muscle,  as 
well  as  feel  an  utter  indiS'erence  to  water  and  its  effects; 
those  stationed  along  the  line  to  remove  obstructions  having 
frequently  to  lift  and  throw  aside  heavy  boulders,  and  are 
standing  or  wading  around  from  morning  till  night  in  water 
knee-deep;  while  the  men  at  the  nozzles  are  in  about  the 
condition  of  the  traditional  drowning  rat,  completely 
drenched  by  the  sheets  of  spray  that  are  thrown  back  by 
the  fierce  contact  of  the  water  with  the  bank  against  which 
it  is  delivered.  To  the  student  of  hydrodynamics  the 
whole  process  from  the  head  of  the  flume  to  the  foot  of  the 
sluices  —  and  the  clean-up  may  as  well  be  included  —  is  one 
of  exceeding  interest.  To  the  observer,  it  presents  fea- 
tures thai  are  more  than  interesting,  they  are  grandly 
picturesque. 

The  most  extensive  hydraulic  enterprise  projected  in  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  341 

Black  Hills  was  the  great  Rockerville  flume  for  conducting 
the  waters  of  Spring  creek  to  the  rich,  dry  placer  beds  at 
Rockerville.  The  flume,  which  was  commenced  in  1878, 
was  an  immense  wooden  structure,  running  from  the  dam 
at  a  point  two  miles  above  Sheridan,  along  a  tortuous 
route,  on  the  side  of  steep  mountains,  around  abrupt 
curves,  over  deep  gorges,  on  lofty  trestles  to  Rockerville, 
a  distance  of  seventeen  miles.  It  was  a  gigantic  undertak- 
ing—  requiring  the  use  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  feet 
of  lumber  and  the  employment  of  many  men,  at  a  cost  of 
from  $250,000  to  $300,000. 

The  operations  by  this  process  on  the  Rockerville  gulch 
deposits  continued  about  five  years,  resulting  in  the  pro- 
duction of  over  a  half  million  of  dollars  in  gold. 

Hydraulic  flumes  were  also  constructed  on  Rapid  creek, 
near  Pactola,  by  the  Estella  Del  Norte  Company  at  an 
immense  expense,  where  operations  were  carried  on  for  a 
time.  Also  the  Hydraulic  Gold  Mining  Company,  on  Battle 
creek,  all  of  which  will  be  referred  to  farther  on. 

Placer  mining  in  the  Black  Hills  —  as  a  great  mining 
industry  —  has  long  since  been  abandoned  :  not  because 
these  deposits  have  been  exhausted,  by  any  means.  There 
are  to-day,  it  is  believed  by  miners  of  judgment  and  ex- 
perience, millions  of  dollars  of  gold  lying  buried  down 
deep  on  the  water-washed  bed-rock  of  Spring,  Rapid,  and 
Castle  creeks,  and  perhaps  other  streams,  awaiting  cap- 
ital, for  the  employment  of  skilled  engineers  and  effective 
mechanical  appliances  for  exhausting  the  surplus  water  on 
the  beds  of  those  streams.  That  such  an  enterprise  will 
some  day  be  undertaken,  it  is  believed. 

EARLY    QUARTZ    MINING    IN  THE    BLACK    HILLS. 

In  the  annals  of  nearly  all  mining  camps,  it  is  found 
that  their  stability  and  permanency  have  depended  mostly 
upon  the  quartz  mines.  It  is  shown  that  not  the  easy 
placers,  that  cost  little  to  operate,  and  moreover  soon  be- 
come exhausted,  but  the  capital  employed  and  expended 


342  THE    BLACK   HILLS;    OR, 

in  the  development  and  equipment  of  quartz  properties, 
with  engines,  steam  drills,  hoisting  plants,  mills,  and  other 
expensive  machinery,  and  the  employment  of  skilled  en- 
gineers to  set  them  in  motion  and  operate  them,  and  expert 
miners  to  extract  the  ore  from  the  mine  in  the  most  judi- 
cious manner  for  its  proper  development,  —  are  what  build 
up  and  maintain  vitality  in  a  mining  camp;  hence  in  a  new 
camp  the  chief  interest  soon  centers  in  its  quartz  mines,  and 
the  history  of  the  great  mining  camp  of  Deadwood  is  no 
exception  to  the  general  rule. 

Early  in  1876  after  the  short  period  of  delirious  excite- 
ment, consequent  upon  the  rich  placer  discoveries,  had  given 
place  to  calm  consideration  and  sober  judgment,  the  atten- 
tion of  prospectors  was  directed  towards  the  quartz  resources 
of  the  camp  and  soon  the  hills  above  the  gold-laden  gulch 
were  being  vigorously  exploited  — by  men  who  knew  gold- 
bearing  rock  when  they  saw  it — for  traces  of  the  ledges 
whence  the  marvelous  deposits  came.  "Float"  and 
"  croppings  "  galore  were  carried  daily  to  the  tents  and 
cabins  of  prospectors,  in  bags  flung  over  their  shoulders, 
for  testing  purposes.  Then  followed  what  may  appropri- 
ately be  termed  the  "  mortar  and  pestle  "  era,  during  which 
the  music  of  numberless  of  the  tiny  one-stamp  mills  was 
heard  from  every  quarter  of  the  big  camp,  morning,  noon, 
and  night ;  and  one  was  confronted  on  everv  hand,  on  the 
street  corners,  in  grocery  stores,  hotels,  and  saloons,  where 
men  the  most  did  congregate,  by  the  amusing  spectacle  of 
men  submitting  a  small  piece  of  innocent  rock  to  the 
most  severe  scrutiny,  through  a  magnifying  glass,  to  dis- 
cover whether  it  was  guilty  or  innocent  of  carrying  free 
gold. 

A  change  then  came  over  the  silent  hills,  where  erstwhile 
were  heard  only  the  howling  of  the  timber  wolf,  the  solemn 
hooting  of  the  owl,  and  kindred  sounds,  and  solitude 
reigned  there  nevermore.  The  clinking  of  picks  and 
shovels,  the  creaking  of  many  windlasses,  and  the  roar  of 
dynamite,  that   tore   the    rocks   asunder,    proclaimed    the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


343 


beginning  of  quartz  mining  in  what  was  afterwards  known 
throughout  the  raining  world  as  the  great  "  gold  belt  "  of 
the  Black  Hills. 

Durinty  the  year  1876  there  were  more  than  150  quartz 
mines  located  and  in  process  of  rapid  development,  within 
a  radius  of  five  miles  of  Dead  wood.  Among  the  earliest 
discoveries  were  the  Golden  Terry  on  Bob  Tail,  familiarly 
known  as  the  Frenchman's  Mine,  and  reputed  to  be  the 
first  discovered  quartz  mine  in  the  "  belt,"  the  Alpha  lode, 
discovered  on  the  12th  of  May,  1876,  by  Messrs.  Wol- 
sey,  Jones  &  Rowland,  upon  which  was  operated  the  first 
stamp  mill  in  the  Black  Hills;  the  Homestake,  discovered 
by  Emanuel  brothers,  Alf.  Engh,  and  others;  the  Hidden 
Treasure  on  Spring  gulch,  discovered  by  Thos.  O'Neal  on 
the  13th  of  May,  1876,  upon  which  was  operated  the  first 
quartz  mill  in  the  Black  Hills;  the  Chief  of  the  Hills  on 
Black  Tail,  located  by  Jack  Hunter  and  California  Joe; 
the  Old  Abe,  discovered  by  M.  Cavanaugh;  the  Golden 
Star,  located  by  Smoky  Jones  ;  and  others  located  at  nearly 
the  same  time,  or  a  little  later. 

The  Golden  Terry,  the  Homestake,  the  Old  Abe  and  the 
Golden  Star  have  long  since  lost  their  identity,  having 
been  absorbed  with  other  mines  by  the  capital  of  the  great 
Homestake  Company,  that  has  for  the  past  nineteen  years 
been  paying  dividends  from  the  product  of  those  early 
discoveries.  Strange,  isn't  it,  and  sad,  too,  when  you  come 
to  think  of  it,  that  the  toiling,  sweating,  powder-begrimed 
miner  rarely  reaps   the  full  fruition  of  his  discovery. 

The  early  explorations  for  gold-bearing  quartz  were,  how- 
ever, by  no  means  confined  to  the  northern  Hills.  At  a 
very  early  date  in  1876,  some  promising  discoveries  were 
made  among  the  hills  bordering  on  French  creek,  and  other 
portions  of  the  southern  and  central  Hills. 

A  trip  through  the  valleys  and  gulches  of  the  Black 
Hills  to-day  will  disclose  the  fact  that  a  vast  deal  of  pros- 
pecting was  done  during  the  early  years  of  their  history, 
for   both  placer  and  quartz;   deserted  shafts,  with  dumps 


344  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

of  gravel  and  rock,  broken  and  decaying  windlasses,  and 
ore  buckets  lying  near  by  ;  abandoned  tunnels,  in  which 
sometimes  can  be  found  an  old  pick  and  shovel  corroded 
with  the  rust  of  years,  but  more  frequently  filled  up  with 
the  fallen  debris;  prospect  holes  innumerable,  and  tumble- 
down log  cabins  may  be  seen  wherever  you  go.  Nearly 
every  hillside  and  gulch  throughout  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  fair  domain  tell  a  pathetic  story  of  depleted  purses, 
wasted  energies,  disappointed  hopes,  and  days,  months, 
yea,  sometimes  years,  of  unrewarded  toil.  Occasionally 
a  piece  of  expensive  machinery  will  be  found  going  to 
certain  wreck  and  ruin.  Any  one  who  has  ever  traveled 
over  the  road  from  Rochford  to  Hill  City  will  perchance 
have  noticed  an  old  wheel  lying  on  the  sands  on  one  of 
the  banks  of  Castle  creek,  below  Ca^^tleton,  where  it  has 
lain  for  years,  a  solemn  warning  to  passing  miners.  That 
old  decaying  wheel  is  the  sole  representative  of  a  capital 
of  $10,000  in  cold  cash,  expended  by  H.  C.  Smith,  former 
County  Commissioner  of  Pennington  County,  in  a  futile 
attempt  to  exhaust  the  water  from  the  gold-laden  bed-rock 
of  the  valley  of  that  stream. 

THE    PECULIARITIES    OF    MINERS. 

Much  has  been  said  and  more  written  of  the  peculiar 
characteristics  of  miners  as  distinct  from  all  other  classes 
of  the  genus  homo  that  is  believed  to  be  erroneous  and 
exaggerated.  Their  vernacular,  their  eccentricities,  and 
their  personnel  have  been  prolific  themes  for  the  pen  of 
the  humorist  and  the  caricaturist,  ever  since  the  days  of 
"Roaring  Camp"  and  "Poker  Flats."  The  most  san- 
guinary and  indefensible  murder  of  the  Queen's  English 
has  been  laid  at  their  doors,  and  they  have  been  portrayed 
in  garbs  that  would  bring  a  broad  smile  to  even  the  face 
of  a  stone  wall.     All  this  has  been  told,  and  more. 

Now,  perhaps  it  is  not  right  to  aim  a  deadly  blow  at  a 
cherished  tradition,  and  try  to  undermine  a  fixed  belief, 
but,  in  justice  to   the  mining  fraternity,  I  want  to  express^ 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  345 

the  conviction  that  the  popular  conception  of  miners,  taking 
the  average  Blaci^  Hills  miner  as  a  type,  comes  about  as 
near  to  the  truth  as  that  of  the  traditional  Yankee,  who 
sometimes  appears  on  the  comedy  stage  with  striped 
trousers,  swallow-tail  coat  —  mostly  tail,  —  high  stand-up 
collar,  and  a  nasal  twang  and  pronunciation,  the  like  of 
which  was  never  heard  by  mortal  man  since  the  building 
of  the  tower  of  Babel. 

Little  of  what  has  been  said  and  written  about  miners  is 
applicable  to  Black  Hills  miners,  who  are  an  intelligent, 
and,  in  many  cases,  a  well-educated  class  of  men.  Of 
course,  in  a  spirit  of  goodfellowship,  they  sometimes  ad- 
dress each  other  as  "  pard,"  and  most  wear  overalls  and 
rubber  boots,  as  the  nature  of  their  vocation  requires,  but 
who  ever  heard  of  a  Black  Hills  miner  talking  like  this:  — 

♦♦  Look  er-har,  boys,  I'm  er  goin'  ercross  ter  der  s'loon 
an'  ax  Bill  ter  chalk  me  down  fer  der  drinks  ferder  crowd. 
Come  er  long,  boys." 

"  All  right,  pard,  we've  bin  kin'  er  waitin'  for  yer  ter 
ax  us." 


346  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XXY. 

DEADWOOD  IN  1876. 

In  amon.o;  the  rugo-ed  northern  hills,  at  an  altitude  of 
over  4,500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  is  situated  the 
city  bearing  the  very  unique  name  of  Deadwood,  so  named 
because  of  the  chaos  of  fallen  dead  timbers  which  once  cov- 
ered the  site  of  its  location.  Although  the  name  is  a  good 
enough  one,  and  was  honestly  and  appropriately  bestowed, 
there  are  those  who  think  that  the  great  commercial  metrop- 
olis of  the  Black  Hills  should  have  been  honored  with  a 
more  euphonious  appellation.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  however, 
in  the  fitness  of  things,  it  could  not  very  well  have  been 
called  by  any  other  name.  But  what's  in  a  name,  and,  in- 
deed, what  cared  its  sponsors  what  the  name  of  the  infant 
city,  when  eveiy  square  foot  of  its  foundation  was  to  yield 
to  them  a  rich  tribute  of  shining  gold?  At  any  rate, 
Deadwood  it  was  named,  and  inasmuch  as  its  citizens  are 
satisfied  to  accept  matters  as  they  found  them,  Deadwood 
it  shall  remain. 

The  site  of  the  original  Deadwood  was  located  on  the 
26th  of  April,  1876,  by  Craven  Lee,  Isaac  Brown,  J.  J. 
Williams,  and  others,  below  the  junction  of  Deadwood  and 
Whitewood  creeks,  and  laid  out  down  the  narrow  valley  of 
the  latter  stream,  close  under  the  shadow  of  Forest  Hill, 
and  a  more  picturesque  site  could  hardly  have  been  chosen. 
The  contracted  valley,  flanked  on  one  side  by  Forest 
Hill,  which  was  then  clothed  with  evergreen  trees  from 
base  to  summit,  on  the  other  by  rugged  hills,  above  which 
rise  the  hoary  crests  of  White  Rocks,  some  2,000  feet 
above  the  level  of  their  base,  was  barely  wide  enough 
at  points  for  the  laying  out  of  one  narrow  street.  The 
site  was  laid  out  evidently  to  conform  with  the  topogra- 


LAST    BUSTING    GROUND    Of   THE    DAKOTAHS. 


347 


„hy   of   the  valley,  without   regard  to  the  points  of  the 
!l:  "L.  the  main  street,  however,  trending  nearly  north 


compass,  the 


^YHITE   KOCKS   OYEULOOKING  DEADWOOD. 


.od  south,  and  crossed  at  right  a.gles  by  Lee,  Gold,  and 
Wall  streets. 


348  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

When  the  howling  waste  of  dead  timbers  and  underbrush 
was  removed  from  the  ground,  the  work  of  building  at 
once  began.  The  first  structure  erected  on  the  platted  site 
was  a  small  log  cabin,  built  by  Lee  &  Brown,  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  Main  and  Gold  streets,  on  part  of  the 
ground  now  occupied  by  the  Nye  Block.  With  the  push 
and  energy  characteristic  of  our  early  pioneers,  Lee  & 
Brown  had  their  cabin  built  and  ready  for  occupancy  on 
the  30th  of  April,  just  four  days  after  the  site  was  laid 
out.  Before  the  laying  of  the  town-site  there  had  been 
three  other  cabins  built  on  the  ground,  the  first  by  J.  J. 
Williams,  on  ground  afterwards  occupied  by  J.  Goldberg's 
store,  the  second  by  John  Shive,  and  the  third  by  W.  H. 
Smith. 

The  first  frame  structure  erected  in  Deadwood  was  built 
by  C.  V.  Gardner  &  Co.,  in  June,  1876,  on  the  lot  adjoin- 
ing the  one  occupied  by  Lee  &  Brown.  In  this  frame 
building  Gardner  &  Co.  opened  the  first  completely 
equipped  grocery  store  in  Deadwood.  The  second  is  said 
to  have  been  opened  by  Furnam  &  Brown,  followed  very 
closely  by  Browning  &  Wringrose. 

Prior  to  the  opening  of  these  houses,  a  number  of  others, 
among;  whom  were  Judge  W.  L.  Kuvkendall  and  Cuthbert- 
son  &  Young,  had  carried  on  a  sort  of  curbstone  grocery 
and  provision  traflSc  with  freighters,  of  whom  they  purchased 
only  in  quantities  suflacient  to  meet  the  existing  demand. 

The  first  drug  store  was  established  by  Julius  Deetkin  on 
the  east  side  of  Main  street,  below  Lee,  in  June,  1876.  A 
little  later  Mr.  Deetkin  became  associated  with  E.  C.  Bent,, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Bent  &  Deetkin. 

The  first  hotel  erected  was  Gen.  Custer  House,  built 
by  John  Scollard,  now  of  Sturgis,  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  Main  and  Lee  streets,  in  June,  1876.  This 
building,  a  two-story  frame  structure,  was  opened  to  the 
public  as  a  hostelry  in  July,  1876,  by  R.  R.  Marsh,  who 
retired  from  the  business  in  December  following,  and  was 
succeeded  by  J.  J.  Sutherland  and  John  Amerman. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAUS. 


349 


But  while  the  Gen.  Custer  Hou^se  was  the  first  completed 
it  was  not  the  first  opened  for  business.  The  Grand  Cen- 
tral was  built  a  little  later  in  June  of  that  year,  on  the 
west  or  north  side,  whichever  it  may  be  called  —  of  Main 
street,  and  was  opened  during  the  same  month,  first  as  a 
restaurant,  by  C.  H.  Wagner.  Later  the  building  was 
raised  an  additional  story,  after  which  it  was  conducted  as 
a  regular  hotel. 


■HhBuI^ 

' 

, 

m 

^                          ^ 

m^^' 

"'■■  '^^ 

SW'.,  I't^'^H 

^^4^'  •.■/.'2"^MiI^H| 

■^''                     :■'   :U 

"                              ^^  T\  tt^^^l 

"^^^^^Wy^-y": 

- 

''^S^flB^l 

^^^^^^^^KStl ' 

# 

••    ^^,-^W&Wr!% 

'"^^^^^^^^■"^■^^^                                                 >**' 

DEADWOOD   IN    1876. 

The  first  hardware  store  in  Dead  wood,  and  perhaps  in 
the  Black  Hills,  was  opened  by  Boughton  &  Berry  in  a 
building  which  stood  on  the  ground  afterwards  occupied 
by  Star  &  Bullock's  hardware  store  on  the  east  side  of 
Main  street. 

The  first  meat  shop  was  opened  by  J.  Shoudy  in  the 
spring  of  1876  ;  and  the  first  regular  restaurant,  called  the 
IXL,  was  opened  by  J.  Vandaniker  &  McGavock. 

The  first  saddlery  and  harness  shop  was  opened  during 
the  summer  of  1876,  by  J.  M.  Woods,  on  the  east  side  of 


350  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Main  street,  below  Wall,  and  the  first  livery  barn  was  estab 
lished  during  the  same  summer  by  Clark  &  Morill,  who  also 
conducted  an  auction  and  commission  business  in  connec- 
tion with  the  livery.     The  first  jewelry  store  was  opened  by 
M.  N.  Gillette. 

It  is  claimed  that  Judge  Miller  was  the  first  law  practi- 
tioner in  Deadwood,  and  Dr.  A.  W.  McKinney  the  first  local 
physician. 

The  first  school  opened  in  Deadwood  was  a  private 
school  taught  by  Wm.  Commode,  during  the  autumn  of 
1876.  The  term  was  taught  in  a  small  log  cabin  that  stood 
on  or  near  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Wentworth 
Hotel.  In  November,  1876,  a  second  bank  was  established 
by  Miller  &  McPherson,  in  connection  with  other  lines  of 
business. 

Business  enterprises  followed  each  other  in  such  bewil- 
deringly  rapid  succession  in  1876,  that  it  is  indeed  difficult 
to  state  positively  which  was  first  in  the  race.  Each  one 
speedily  reared  his  structure  according  to  his  individual 
fancy  or  convenience  - —  with  utter  disregard  to  regularity  — 
and  opened  up  his  wares  for  traffic.  In  four  months  from 
the  day  the  first  smoke  curled  up  from  the  rude  chimney  of 
Lee  &  Brown's  log  cabin,  both  sides  of  Main  street  were 
crowded  with  structures  of  various  sizes,  shapes,  and  quali- 
ties—  log  cabins,  frame  buildings,  and  tents,  in  one  curi- 
ous medley  bent.  Even  the  cross  streets,  in  defiance  of 
the  rules  and  regulations  adopted  by  the  town  organization^ 
were  appropriated  for  building  and  business  purposes. 

The  followinof  are  the  names  of  some  of  the  firms  con- 
ducting  business  in  Deadwood  during  the  initial  year  of  its 
history :  Baer  &  McKinnis,  Janson  &  Bliss,  and  Star  8b 
Bullock  (hardware)  ;  J.  M.  Woods  (banker);  Miller  &  Mc- 
Pherson (bankers)  ;  D.  Hozeman,  Browning  &  Wringrose, 
Garrison  &  Dennee  (grocers) ;  Bent  &  Deetkin  (druggists)  ; 
Matheieson  &  Goldberg,  Gardner  &  Brown,  Robinson  & 
Ross  (grocers);  Garlick  Bros,  (druggists);  A.  T.  Henzie 
(jeweler);   Cuthbertson    &    Young,    W.     L.    Kuykendall 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  351 

(commission)  ;  Wm.  Burton,  Vanduniker  &  McGavock 
(restaurants);  Amerman  &  Sutherland  (hotel);  C.  H. 
Wagner  (hotel);  Matkin  &  Co.  (bakers);  Hildebrand  & 
Hardiog,  Phillips  &  Biddle,  Gaston  &  Shankland,  Nye  & 
Co.,  Samuel  Soyster,  Knovvles  &  Marshmand,  Wm.  Le  De 
Moss;  and  many  others. 

During  that  brief  period  about  7,000  were  added  to  the 
population  of  Deadwood,  among  whom  were  many  reck- 
less adventurers,  who  scarcely  knew  for  what  they  came  — 
without  other  purpose  than  the  possible  chance  of  fleecing 
unwary  and  trusting  pilgrims.  Hotels  and  other  places  of 
entertainment,  though  numerous,  were  crowded  to  over- 
flowing, beds  in  which  to  sleep  were  at  a  high  premium 
and  a  chair  on  which  to  sit  was  regarded  as  a  great  luxury. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  many  had  not  the  price  to  advance 
for  either,  and  were  forced  to  slumber  in  the  shadow  of  the 
buildings  or  standing  up  in  saloons  and  gambling  houses. 

In  the  train  of  the  legitimate  prospector,  came  the  men 
of  business  and  professional  men  —  the  former  with  their 
goods,  merchandise,  fixtures,  etc.,  and  in  their  wake  fol- 
lowed the  gamblers  and  all  kinds  of  crooks  and  sharps^ 
and  with  them  those  fixed  facts  in  the  moral  or  immoral 
economy  of  nearly  all  mining  camps  and  municipalities, 
those  human  leeches  that  remorselessly  feed  upon  the  earn- 
ings of  weak  men  — the  courtesan.  By  the  latter  part  of 
August,  Deadwood  had  become  a  vast  seething  cauldron 
of  restless  humanity,  composed  of  virtue  and  vice  in  about 
equal  ratios,  engaged  each  in  his  own  way  in  the  mighty 
struggle  for  gold. 

Nearly  all  branches  of  business  were  represented  in 
Deadwood  in  1876,  and  the  trade  along  all  lines  was  some- 
thing immense.  Every  business  man,  no  matter  in  what 
kind  of  traflBc  engaged,  made  money  beyond  his  most  san- 
guine expectations.  Hotels  and  other  eating  places  which 
fed  hundreds  every  day  were  veritable  gold  mines,  and  the 
saloons,  of  which  there  were  scores,  grew  rich  on  the  reck- 
less expenditures  of  those  who  dug  for  gold. 


352  THE    BLACK   HILLS  ;    OR, 

Profits  were  large  and  the  demand  unlimited;  wages 
were  high  and  gold  plentiful.  Every  miner  carried  his 
little  buckskin  sack,  filled  with  gold  dust,  which  he  squan- 
dered right  and  left  with  reckless  prodigality  and  abandon. 
An  instance  of  which  I  chanced  to  be  a  witness  is  now  re- 
called, when  a  high-stepping,  half-seas-over  miner,  scat- 
tered the  contents  of  his  well-filled  gold  sack  in  the  middle 
of  Main  street,  to  see  the  boys  and  impecunious  men 
scramble  for  the  shining  particles.  Let  it  be  understood, 
however,  that  all  miners  were  not  thus  reckless  and  prodi- 
gal of  their  gold,  only  the  major  part  of  them.  As  gold 
dust,  whose  commercial  value  was  then  rated  at  from 
eighteen  to  twenty  dollars  per  ounce,  was  the  almost  sole 
medium  of  exchange,  a  pair  of  gold  scales  and  a  blower 
were  indispensable  parts  of  the  equipment  of  every  business 
place. 

En-passant,  the  most  unique  and  perhaps  the  most  profit- 
able load  of  merchandise  brought  to  Deadvvood  in  1876, 
was  a  consignment  of  cats.  While  there  were  plenty  of  wild 
cats  among  the  jungles  of  the  Hills  in  those  days,  there 
were  very  few  of  the  domestic  variety,  so  taking  advantage 
of  the  existing  dearth,  some  speculative  genius  in  the  East 
conceived  the  happy  idea  of  shipping  a  wagon  load  of  the 
Eastern  surplus  to  the  Black  Hills  and  convert  it  into  gold 
dust.  The  load,  which  was  arranged  into  compartments 
one  above  the  other,  comprised  cuts  of  almost  every  shade 
and  hue,  Maltese,  black,  white,  yellow,  gray,  and  spotted. 

The  average  man  in  Deadwood  in  1876  would  pay  any 
reasonable  price  for  a  "  family  cat  "  to  keep  fresh  in  his 
memory  "the  girl  he  left  behind  him,"  and  consequently 
there  was  quite  an  active  competition  around  the  wagon  in 
the  street  as  to  the  privilege  of  first  choice.  The  Maltese 
being  the  prime  favorite,  commanding  the  highest  price, 
the  maximum  being  $10.00  in  gold  dust,  and  $5.00  the 
minimum. 

Ovving:  to  the  difficultv  and  cost,  as  well  as  the  extreme 
danger  of  transportation,  provisions  of  all  kinds  commanded 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


353 


exorbitant  prices,  tioiir,  at  times  of  great  scarcity,  having 
sold  as    high  as  $00.00  per  100   pounds,  and  other  staple 


witcher's  freight  train  on  the  streets  of  deadwood  in  1876. 


articles  at  proportionate  prices.  To  offset  the  prevailing 
high  prices  of  goods,  however,  wage-earners,  both  miners 
and  skilled  mechanics,  received  from   five  to  seven  dollars 

23 


354  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

per  day's  work,  and  mine  owners  in  many  cases  were 
making  a  small  fortune  every  day.  Idlers  and  hangers-on, 
of  whom  there  were  many,  of  course  lived  a  very  precarious 
existence,  oftentimes  being  forced  to  go  hungry. 

SUNDAY    IN    DEADWOOD    DURING    PIONEER    DAYS. 

There  was  no  austerity  nor  solemnity  about  Sunday  in 
Deadwood  during  the  pioneer  days.  The  current  of  traffic, 
like  time  and  tide,  flowed  on  seven  days  of  every  week, 
and  Sunday  was  the  maddest  business  day  of  all.  It  was 
not  that  its  business  men  had  lost  their  reckoning  of  the 
days  of  the  week  that  Sunday  was  the  busiest  of  the  seven, 
but  because  that  was  the  day  on  which  the  hundreds  of 
miners  and  prospectors  in  the  surrounding  camps  and 
gulches  threw  down  their  picks  and  shovels  and  came  to 
Deadwood  to  replenish  their  stores  of  supplies,  get  their 
mail,  have  a  jolly  good  time,  and  spend  their  week's  earn- 
ings. Naturally  the  business  men,  not  having  braved  the 
dangers  of  a  journey  into  the  Black  Hills  for  their  health, 
were  nothing  loth  to  exchange  their  goods  and  merchandise 
and  otherwise  cater  to  their  pleasures  for  gold  dust,  hence 
Deadwood  on  Sunday  presented  a  scene  of  extraordinary 
business  activity  and  excitement,  and  one  not  easily 
forgotten. 

Conjure  up  in  your  minds  one  long,  rather  narrow  street, 
which  was  practically  all  there  was  of  Deadwood  in  the 
summer  of  1876,  deeply  lined  on  both  sides  from  one 
extreme  to  the  other  with  a  dense,  dark  mass  of  surging, 
pushing,  struggling,  male  humanity,  every  business  place 
open  and  traffic  in  full  blast.  Imagine  the  arrival  upon  the 
scene  of  several  freight  trains,  heavily  laden  with  merchan- 
dise, and  the  bustle  and  confusion  of  unloading  the  same  at 
the  doors  of  the  many  hustling  dealers  along  the  crowded 
street.  Imagine  you  hear  the  oaths  of  the  pitiless  drivers 
accompanied  by  the  sharp  crack  of  their  long,  cruel  lashes, 
the  plaintive  "mooing"  of  the  tired,  panting  cattle,  and 
the  loud,   resonant  braying  of  many  mules,  and  above  all 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  355 

the  incessant  rasping  of  numerous  saws  and  the  re- 
sounding blows  of  many  hammers,  and  you  have  a  faint 
mental  reproduction  of  Sunday  in  Deadwood  during  the 
pioneer  days,  which  was  but  an  extreme  type  of  every 
other  day  of  the  week. 

DEADWOOD    BY    LAMPLIGHT. 

Picturesque  and  exciting  as  was  the  exterior  aspect  of 
Deadwood  during  the  day,  it  presented  another  even  more 
novel  and  striking  view,  which  the  casual  observer  could 
gain  only  by  the  rays  of  numerous  kerosene  lamps. 

By  elbowing  your  way  down  the  street  through  a  jostling 
crowd  of  roystering,  rollicking  miners,  noisy  "  whackers," 
untutored  tenderfeet,  and  some  more  kinds  of  people,  when 
the  shades  of  evening  prevailed  and  the  lamps  were  lighted, 
you  could  have  had  a  glimpse  of  the  true  inwardness  of  Dead- 
wood  during  the  early  period.  You  would  have  seen  every 
store,  every  saloon  and  gambling  resort,  all  places  of  amuse- 
ment, of  questionable  propriety,  bright  and  alluringly 
illuminated  by  many  coal  oil  lamps.  Execrable  music, 
produced  from  antiquated  pianos  and  cracked  violins, 
mingled  .with  song  and  hilarious  laughter,  would  have 
reached  your  ears  from  every  quarter.  By  a  hasty  glance 
through  the  wide-open  doors  of  the  saloons  and  gamino' 
resorts,  you  would  have  noticed  large  crowds  of  men  of  all 
classes  gathered,  eagerly  watching  as  if  fascinated,  the 
many  games  of  chance  going  on,  games  in  which  hundreds 
of  dollars  were  won  and  lost  in  a  single  night,  games  in 
which,  alas,  many  a  tenderfoot  was  tempted  to  stake  his  all 
on  the  hazard  of  a  die,  only  to  lose.  The  most  notorious 
as  well  as  the  most  nefarious  of  the  gambling  resorts  to  be 
found  in  Deadwood  during  the  early  days,  was  a  place 
on  lower  Main  street  called  by  the  musical  name  of  the 
"  Melodeon,"  but  where  the  melody  came  in  is  not  under- 
tood,  unless  it  might  be  the  mellifluous  How  of  gold 
dust  into  the  pockets  of  the  robbers,  thieves,  bunko  men, 
and  general  cappers,  the  "  Nutshell  Bills,"   the   "  Pancake 


356  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Bills,"  the  "  Mysterious  Jimmie?,"  and  others  of  that  ilk, 
who  were  said  to  have  made  that  unsavory  resort  their  head- 
quarters. There  was  another  popular  resort  on  lower  Main 
street,  known  as  the  "  Variety  Theatre,"  where  under  the 
glare  of  kerosene  lamps  the  Ella  La  Rues,  the  Fanny  Gar- 
retsons,  the  Kittie  Leroys  and  the  big-voiced  Monteverdes, 
nightly  entertained  and  enchanted  hundreds  of  men  with 
ribald  song  and  dance  and  wine  and  smutty  jest,  until 
the  "  wee-sma  '  "  hours  of  the  morning.  All  this  I  was  told 
and  much  more,  over  which  it  is  better  to  draw  the  veil. 
In  the  living  panorama  surging  along  the  street  it  was 
not  an  uncommon  thing  to  see  groups  of  gaudily-attired, 
paint-bedaubed  creatures  —  whom  for  grammatical  accuracy 
we  will  call  women,  some  from  whose  faces  the  bloom  of 
innocence  had  not  yet  wholly  departed ;  others  whose 
cheeks  evidently  had  years  before  forgotten  how  to  blush, 
boldly  parading  up  and  down,  amid  the  jostling  crowds,  at 
early  lamplight — presenting  a  spectacle  suggestive  of  a 
degree  of  depravity  not  pleasant  to  contemplate.  Albeit, 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  people  were  outlaws,  having  no 
license  to  control  affairs  —  not  even  municipal  license,  for 
several  months,  there  was  a  remarkable  al)sence  of  disorder 
in  the  streets  of  Deadwood  during  its  pioneer  days. 

HOW  WE  CELEBRATED  OUR  NATAL  DAY  IN  1876. 

The  Centennial  Anniversary  of  our  nation's  birth  was  by 
no  means  forgotten  by  the  people  of  the  Black  Hills,  in 
their  eager  quest  for  gold,  as  was  shown  by  the  manner  in 
which  the  people  of  Deadwood  and  its  surburban  population 
of  miners  observed  the  day.  Pioneers  never  do  things  by 
halves,  and  the  fact  that  they  were  not  regarded  by  Uncle 
Sam  as  citizens,  nor  accorded  any  of  their  rights,  lessened 
not  a  whit  their  zeal  and  patriotism,  or  their  loyalt}'  to  the 
flag  they  still  loved,  so  the  great  national  holiday  was 
celebrated  with  a  vim  and  enthusiasm  worthy  of  the  impor- 
tant occasion. 

To  make  the  necessary  preliminary  preparations  for  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  357 

proper  observance  of  the  day,  hundreds  of  stalwart  miners 
from  the  adjacent  camps  gathered  in  Dead  wood  on  the 
evening  of  the  third  to  aid  in  the  erection  of  a  pole  of  lib- 
erty. The  tallest  and  most  symmetrical  pole  that  could  be 
found  along  the  mountain  slopes  was  secured  and  planted 
in  front  of  the  speaker's  stand  —  previously  prepared  on 
the  north  side  of  Main  street,  to  be  ready  for  the  flag  at 
the  "  dawn's  early  light." 

It  is  needless  to  state  that  the  celebrators  were  on  the 
alert  for  the  hour  to  begin.  I  was  on  the  alert  too,  soon 
after,  for  at  the  last  stroke  of  the  midnight  hour  by  the 
cabin  clock,  or  the  last  tick  of  the  twelfth  hour  by  the 
watches  in  the  miners'  vest  pockets  the  booming  of  artil- 
lery began.  One  hundred  salutes  — anvil  salutes — were 
fired  in  reasonably  rapid  succession,  which  consumed  the 
major  part  of  the  time  till  daylight  —  as  per  mathematical 
calculation  ;  yes,  an  average  of  twenty-tive  booms  per  hour, 
in  regular  sequence,  would  bring  daylight  in  July,  and  fig- 
ures will  not  lie.    It  was  so  soothing  to  the  nerves,  you  know. 

At  the  rising  of  the  sun  the  national  emblem  was  raised 
to  its  position  just  beneath  the  little  gilded  dome  surmount- 
ing the  pole  of  liberty,  where  it  unfurled  its  bright  folds, 
and  floated  out  to  the  mountain  breeze,  and  it  floated  none 
the  less  proudly  in  that  the  red  portion  of  the  emblem  was 
composed  of  a  patriotic  lady's  garment  of  "  mystical  sub- 
limity "  that  was  neither  "  russet,  silk  nor  dimity."  Then 
"  pent-up  Utica  broke  forth,"  and  volley  after  volley  of 
musketry,  intermingled  with  the  lusty  cheering  of  the  crowd, 
gave  full  proof  that  patriotism  was  neither  dead  nor  dying 
in  the  hearts  of  the  Black  Hills  pioneers. 

There  was  one  notable  feature  about  the  Deadwood  Cen- 
tennial celebration,  to  wit :  The  ubiquitous  boy  with  the 
nerve-destroying  fire-cracker  was  not  greatly  in  evidence  — 
a  circumstance  for  which  every  woman  in  Deadwood  was, 
no  doubt,  duly  thankful.  The  crack  of  small  arms,  how- 
ever, could  be  heard  from  every  quarter  from  the  right  and 
the  left,  from  the  front  and  the  rearof  you,  which,  with  the 


358  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

singing  of  patriotic  airs  and  an  occasional  report  from  the 
anvil,  continued  until  nearly  noon. 

At  eleven  o'clock  a.  m.  Judge  W.  S.  Kuykendall,  having 
been  elected  president,  mounted  the  platform  and  called 
the  assembled  multitude  to  order.  After  an  impressive 
prayer  by  the  chaplain.  Rev.  C.  E.  Halley,  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  was  read  in  his  own  intimitable  style, 
by  Gen.  A.  R.  Z.  Dawson.  The  orator  of  the  day  was 
then  introduced  in  the  person  of  Judge  Joseph  Miller,  who 
made  an  eloquent,  practical  speech  —  dwelling  largely 
upon  local  interests,  and  closing  with  a  stirring  patriotic 
peroration. 

The  following  Memorial  to  Congress  —  prepared  by 
himself,  was  then  read  by  Gen.  Dawson  and  presented  for 
the  signature  of  the  people  :  — 

"  To  the  Honored  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled  : 

"  Your  memorialists,  citizens  of  that  portion  of  Dakota 
known  as  the  Black  Hills,  most  respectfully  petition  your 
honorable  body  for  speedy  and  prompt  action  in  extinguish- 
ing the  Indian  title  to,  and  the  opening  for  settlement  of  the 
country  we  are  now  occupying  and  improving.  We  have 
now  iu  the  Hills  a  population  of  at  least  7,000  honest,  loyal 
citizens,  who  have  come  here  with  the  expectation  of  mak- 
ing their  homes.  Our  country  is  rich  not  only  in  mineral 
resources,  but  is  abundantly  supplied  with  timber,  and  a 
soil  rich  enough  to  sustain  a  large  population. 

"Your  memorialists  would,  therefore,  earnestly  request 
that  we  be  no  longer  deprived  of  the  fruits  of  our  labor 
and  driven  from  the  country  we  now  occupy,  but  that  the 
government,  for  which  we  have  offered  our  lives,  at  once 
extend  a  protecting  arm  and  take  us  under  its  care. 

*«  As  in  duty  bound,  your  petitioners  will  ever  pray." 

It  goes  without  saying  that  every  one  to  whom  the  memo- 
rial was  presented,  attached  his  signature. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  359 

Celebrations  similar  to  the  one  in  Deadwood  were  also 
held  in  Elizabethtown  and  Montana  City.  At  the  former 
place  Dr.  McKinney  presided,  Dr.  Overman  read  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  and  Attorney  A.  B.  Chapline 
delivered  the  oration.  At  Montana  City,  two  miles  below 
Deadwood,  Judge  H.  N.  Maguire  delivered  an  eloquent 
oration  which  stirred  his  hearers  to  a  high  degree  of  patri- 
otic enthusiasm.  In  the  absence  of  anvils  to  emphasize 
their  patriotism,  they  fired  their  needle  guns  into  the  sides 
of  the  mountains  and  did  everything  possible  with  the 
facilities  at  hand  to  make  the  occasion  one  long  to  be 
remembered. 

To  still  further  commemorate  the  glorious  anniversary, 
a  notable  event  in  the  annals  of  the  big  mining  camp 
transpired  on  that  day.  In  a  little  log  cabin  that  stood  on 
the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Central  School  building, 
Revillo  F.  Robinson,  the  first  child  born  in  Deadwood, 
made  his  debut  on  the  tumultuous  scene,  and  having  made 
his  advent  amid  the  booming  of  anvil  artillery,  the  music 
and  cheering  of  loyal  multitudes,  and  patriotic  utterances 
from  eloquent  lips,  iu  honor  of  our  Centennial  birthday, 
Revillo  should  be,  and  no  doubt  is,  a  true  and  loyal 
"  Young  America,"  and,  if  he  bears  out  the  promise  of 
his  early  boyhood,  Deadwood  has  good  reason  to  feel  proud 
of  her  first-born  son.  Revillo  is  the  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  N.  Robinson,  now  living  at  Dakota  City  on  the  Cheyenne 
river. 

COLLECTION  OF  TAXES  IN  THE  BLACK  HILLS  IN  1876. 

The  exercise  of  the  civil  functions  of  the  government 
over  the  people  of  the  Black  Hills,  as  far  as  the  collection 
of  Federal  taxes  was  concerned,  was  not  long  delayed.  By 
an  order  of  April  12th,  1876,  this  important  function  was 
first  assigned  by  the  Commissioner  of  Internal  Revenue  to 
the  District  of  Wyoming,  but  on  May  12th,  1876,  the 
order  was  revoked  by  the  Revenue  Department  and  assigned 


360  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

to  the  District  of  Dakota,  when  Gen.  A.  R.  Z.  Dawson  was 
sent  to  Deadwood  as  Deputy  Revenue  Collector. 

Gen.  A.  R.  Z.  Dawson — the  memory  of  whose  name 
causes  the  heart  of  every  old  pioneer  to  thrill  with  feelings 
of  intense  pride  —  was  not  only  the  first  to  collect  United 
States  revenue  in  the  Black  Hills,  but  the  sacred  words  of 
the  great  "  Declaration  "  were  first  uttered  by  his  eloquent 
lips,  and  rang  out  on  the  Black  Hills  mountain  air  on  our 
Centennial  natal  day  ;  the  first  memorial  to  Congress  —  in 
behalf  of  the  outlawed  people  of  the  Black  Hills  —  was 
penned  by  his  ready  hand;  he  also  served  them  as  first 
clerk  of  the  first  United  States  courts  held  in  the  Black  Hills 
under  the  new  regime  in  1877,  and  his  taking  away  was  a 
sad  blow  to  the  people  whose  stanch  friend  he  ever  proved. 

The  only  recognition  accorded  the  people,  however,  up  to 
1877,  was  that  of  contMbutinor  revenue  to  the  government. 
Bitter  protestations  were  made  against  what  seemed  the 
inconsistent  and  unjust  attitude  of  the  government,  and 
frequent  demands  were  made  for  recognition,  and,  if  there 
had  been  any  efficacy  in  prayer,  the  Black  Hills  country 
would  have  been  a  full-fledged  Territory  in  1876,  Sioux  or 
no  Sioux. 

Pending  the  negotiations  for  the  extinguishment  of  the 
Indian  title  to  the  Black  Hills  in  1876,  the  people  were  in 
an  almost  continuous  attitude  of  supplication  and  prayer. 
First  through  a  Memorial  to  Congress  —  which  was  con- 
veyed to  Washington  by  C.  V.  Gardner — they  prayed  that 
all  disqualifications  be  removed  from  the  people  of  the 
Hills,  by  legalizing  the  forced  occupancy  thereof.  In 
July,  1876,  the  people  of  Deadwood  sent  a  petition,  with 
the  requisite  number  of  signers,  to  Gov.  John  S.  Penning- 
ton, for  county  organization. 

In  July,  1876,  they  memorialized  Congress  for  speedy 
action,  looking  towards  the  establishment  of  a  separate  and 
distinct  territorial  government,  a  government  whose  enact- 
ments would  be  in  harmony  with  the  local  interests  and 
requirements  of  the  people.     Later,  a    delegate  —  in  the 


A.    R.    Z.    DAWSON. 

First  United  States  revenue  collector  and  first  cleik  of  courts  in  the 
Black  Hills. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  3()1 

person  of  Dr.  C.  W.  Myers  —  was  elected  and  sent  to 
Yankton  and  Washington  in  the  interests  of  the  Bhick 
Hills,  without,  however,  any  immediate  effect,  though  not 
without  its  influence.  In  taking  a  retrospective  view  of 
the  then  existing  circumstances  and  conditions,  it  is  not 
seen  how  the  government  could  have  pursued  any  other 
policy  unless,  perhaps,  in  the  matter  of  giving  the 
people  more  speedy  military  protection  against  the  hostile 
Indians. 

PLATTING    OF    SOUTH    DEADWOOD. 

The  necessity  for  a  larger  scope  of  domain,  to  accom- 
modate the  increasing  business  and  rapidly  expanding  pop- 
ulation of  Dead  wood,  suggested  to  a  few  speculative 
individuals  the  scheme  of  building  a  rival  town,  adjacent 
thereto,  a  town  which  its  promoters  believed  would,  in  a 
few  weeks,  totally  eclipse  its  imperious  elder  sister  on  the 
north  side,  in  point  of  business  enterprise  and  population. 
In  furtherance  of  the  project,  in  the  early  part  of  July, 
1876,  a  site  was  selected,  laid  out  and  platted  on  the  south 
side  of  and  up  the  narrow  defile  of  Whitewood  creek,  above 
the  original  site  of  Dead  wood.  A  city  organization  was 
effected  by  the  election  of  a  mayor,  common  council,  and 
all  other  oflfices  necessary  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  a  full- 
fledged  city  government.  By  mutual  consent  the  new  city 
was  christened  South  Deadwood,  in  contradistinction  to 
Deadwood  proper. 

According  to  the  rules  of  the  organization  lots  were  made 
subject  to  location  upon  specified  conditions,  and  perhaps 
never  in  the  annals  of  city  building  was  there  a  greater 
scramble  for  town  lots  than  in  the  case  of  South  Dead- 
wood.  Squatter  sovereignty  reigned  supreme.  At  night 
a  man  would  "  wrap  the  drapery  of  his  couch  about  him 
and  lie  down  to  pleasant  dreams,"  feeling  secure  in  the 
possession  of  some  desirable  city  property,  and  wake  up 
the  next  morning  bright  and  early  to  find  his  ground 
fenced  in,  or  occupied,  either  with  the  tent  or  the  goods 


K 


362  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

and  chattels  of  some  other  fellow.  Frequent  disputes  arose 
as  to  priority  of  location,  in  the  settlement  of  which  six- 
shooters  and  shot-guns  were  potent  factors. 

The  summary  manner  in  which  disputes  were  sometimes 
settled  and  lot-jumpers  quashed  is  illustrated  by  a  case  of 
which  1  was  an  eye-witness.  One  morning,  on  Deadwood 
street,  I  was  confronted  with  the  alarming  spectacle  of  a 
woman  carrying  a  shot-gun,  engaged  in  an  angry  dispute, 
with  an  unarmed  man,  who,  it  developed,  had  located  her 
property.  Upon  his  refusal  to  comply  with  her  peremp- 
tory demand  to  remove  his  effects  from  the  ground  in  dis- 
pute, she  deliberately  raised  her  gun  to  her  shoulder,  and 
aiming  it  directly  at  the  intruder,  said  :  "I'll  give  you  just 
one  minute,  and  not  a  second  more,  to  vacate  my  property." 
It  is  needless  to  state  that  the  poor  man  speedily  took  a 
vacation.  Similar  cases  were  of  frequent  occurrence  in 
those  days. 

THE    FIRST    MURDER    IN    THE    NORTHERN    HILLS. 

The  first  conspicuous  crime  committed  in  the  region  of 
Deadwood  was  the  killing  of  a  miner  named  Jack  Hinch, 
by  John  R.  Carty  and  Jerry  McCarty,  at  Gayville,  on  the 
night  of  July  9th,  1876.  The  particulars  of  the  tragic 
affair,  as  related  to  me,  are  substantially  as  follows:  On 
Sunday  night  of  the  day  mentioned,  Carty,  McCarty  and 
a  man  named  Trainor,  were  engaged  in  a  game  of  cards 
in  a  saloon  at  Gayville.  Hinch,  a  friend  and  mining 
partner  of  the  latter,  while  watching  the  progress  of  the 
game,  concluded  that  his  partner  was  being  swindled, 
and  persuaded  him  to  abandon  the  game,  which  brought 
about  the  altercation  that  culminated  in  the  commission 
of  the  crime.  About  an  hour  after  Hinch  had  retired  to 
his  quarters  in  Turner  &  Wilson's  saloon,  Carty  and 
McCarty  entered  the  place,  aroused  Hinch,  and  asked 
him  to  get  up  and  drink  with  them.  Believing  the  proposi- 
tion to  be  of  a  conciliatory  nature,  Hinch  started  to  get 
up,  when  McCarty  fired   two   shots   at  him,  and   while   in 


LAST   HUNTING    GROUND    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS.  363 

this  half-upright  position,  Carty  attacked  him  with  a  hirge 
sheath  knife,  together  inflicting  wounds  from  the  eff"ect  of 
which  he  died  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  following  morning. 

Realizing  what  they  had  done,  the  perpetrators  hastily 
disposed  of  their  mining  property  —  a  rich  hill  claim,  giv- 
ing one-half  to  their  landlady  and  the  other  half  to  a 
friend,  procured  two  horses,  and  made  their  escape.  A 
large  posse  of  Hinch's  friends  started  in  pursuit,  scouring 
the  Hills  in  every  direction,  but  failed  to  get  any  trace  of 
the  fugitives.  A  reward  of  $500  was  then  offered  for 
their  capture.  As  subsequently  developed,  Carty  and 
McCarty  made  their  way  to  Fort  Laramie,  near  which 
point  they  separated,  the  latter  going  in  the  direction  of 
Cheyenne,  the  former  joining  the  logging  train  of  Coffee 
&  Cuny,  about  to  start  for  Fort  Fetterman. 

When  the  pursuing  party  reached  Fort  Laramie  the 
facts  were  made  known  to  the  commanding  oflicer  of  the 
post,  who  assured  them  that  Deputy  United  States  Marshal 
I.  C.  Davis  would  assist  them  in  every  way  to  ferret  out 
the  criminals.  Davis,  on  receiving  a  description  of  the 
men,  set  out  in  pursuit,  overtook  the  train  and  captured 
the  man  Carty  without  the  least  resistance.  McCarty, 
the  principal,  was  never,  it  is  believed,  found.  On  the 
evening  of  July  31st,  Marshal  Davis,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Cuny,  arrived  with  his  prisoner  at  Gayville,  the  scene  of 
the  murder. 

Marshal  Davis  drove  through  Deadwood  at  a  mad  pace 
that  day,  with  Carty  wrapped  up  in  a  blanket  on  the  bottom 
of  the  wagon,  and  everybody  turned  out  to  see  the  fright- 
ful runaway.  It  appears  that  he  had  been  notified  back  at 
a  point  known  as  "  Break  Neck  "  hill,  that  it  would  be  very 
unsafe  to  expose  his  prisoner  in  passing  through  Dead- 
wood,  as  Hinch's  friends  would  surely  lynch  him  ;  so, 
after  consulting  his  prisoner,  he  adopted  this  bit  of  strat- 
egy, which  came  very  near  making  farther  proceedings 
unnecessary.  It  is  related  that  on  reaching  Gayville  the 
poor  fellow  was  so  near  suffocated  with  the  extreme  heat 


364  thb:  black  hills;   ok, 

and  want  of  oxygen,  that  vigorous  measures  had  to  be 
taken  to  restore  him  to  consciousness. 

In  the  absence  of  reguharly  constituted  courts,  it  seemed 
necessary,  in  so  grave  a  cliarge  as  murder,  that  the  formal- 
ities of  a  trial  be  gone  through  with;  so  a  miners'  meet- 
ing was  called  for  the  next  day,  August  1st,  for  the 
purpose  of  making  preliminary  arrangements  for  trying  the 
prisoner  on  the  charge  of  murder. 

The  people  were  stirred  up  to  a  high  tension  over  the 
affair.  By  10  o'clock  of  the  following  day  Gayville  was 
blocked  by  a  vast  gathering  of  excited,  turbulent  miners 
from  the  camps,  and  citizens  from  Deadwood,  all  eager  to 
witness  the  sequel  to  the  initial  tragedy  of  the  gulch.  The 
respective  friends  of  the  murdered  man  and  the  prisoner 
were  out  in  large  force,  armed  to  the  teeth,  the  former 
headed  by  big  Bill  Trainor  —  as  he  was  called  —  clamorous 
for  summary  punishment  to  be  meted  out  to  the  accused; 
the  latter  led  by  John  Flaherty,  who  afterwards  made  a  big 
stake  in  the  sale  of  the  De  Smet  group  of  mines  —  equally 
determined  that  he  should  have  a  fair  trial.  For  a  while 
the  prisoner's  life  seemed  to  hang  in  a  balance,  with  the 
preponderance  of  weight  against  him.  "  Hang  him,  hang 
him!  "  was  the  cry  of  Hinch's  friends  as  they  surged 
threateningly  toward  the  place  where  the  prisoner  was 
held  in  custody.  "  Touch  him  at  your  peril !  "  was  hurled 
back  defiantly  by  his  friends.  At  a  critical  juncture  Mar- 
shal Davis  —  whose  nerve  never  weakened  at  the  threats 
and  curses  of  the  mob  that  surged  about  the  prisoner, 
interposed  in  his  behalf.  Mounting  a  barrel  he  called  the 
attention  of  the  excited  mob  and  thus  addressed  it :  — 

"  Boys,  I  have  brought  this  man  from  Fort  Laramie, 
through  a  country  swarming  with  Indians,  in  order  that  you 
might  try  him  for  his  life.  When  I  took  him,  I  gave  him 
his  choice  to  be  taken  to  Yankton  and  tried  by  the  courts, 
or  to  come  back  to  the  Hills  to  be  tried  by  the  miners. 
He  chose  to  come  here,  and  when  he  did  so,  I  promised 
him  that  he  should  have  a  fair  trial,  and    by that  he 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  365 

shall  have.  Try  him  and  if  you  find  him  guilty  of  murder, 
hang  him  and  I  will  help  you  pull  the  rope.  But,  until  he 
has  had  a  fair  trial,  the  man  or  men  who  touch  a  hair  of 
his  head,  will  first  walk  over  my  dead  body."  This  bold 
and  manly  stand  in  the  performance  of  his  sworn  duty, 
appealed  to  the  miners'  sense  of  justice  and  quelled  the 
mob.     The  prisoner,  for  the  time  being,  was  safe. 

In  arranging  for  the  trial,  the  first  step  was,  of  course, 
to  find  a  man  with  the  requisite  legal  attainments,  and  some 
judicial  experience,  to  preside  as  judge.  After  casting 
about  for  one  who  would  fill  these  requirements  the  choice 
finally  fell  upon  O.  H.  Simonton,  who  had  just  arrived  in 
the  Hills,  by  ox  train,  over  the  Fort  Pierre  route,  and  who, 
it  was  ascertained,  had  served  in  the  capacity  of  justice  of 
the  peace,  in  the  stock  yards  of  Chicago.  From  a  panel 
of  forty  names  twelve  jurymen  were  drawn  as  follows: 
E.  B.  Parker,  Ed.  Durham,  J.  H.  Balf,  John  Kane, 
G.  Schugardt,  George  Heinrich,  A.  C.  Lobdell,  C.  W. 
Shule,  John  W.  Gill,  S.  M.  Moon,  George  Atchinson,  and 

Curley.     A.  B.    Chapline,  afterwards   a   member  of 

the  firm  of  Young  &  Chapline,  was  appointed  to  prosecute 
the  case,  Carty  securing  the  services  of  Mills  &  HoUis  to 
defend  him.  The  trial  of  the  case,  which  was  held  out  in 
the  open,  continued  all  through  the  day,  and  until  10 
o'clock  at  night,  the  procedure  in  legally  constituted  courts 
being  followed  as  closely  as  was  possible.  Uncomfortably 
seated  on  a  pile  of  logs  in  the  vicinage  of  the  court  during 
the  long  hours  of  the  trial,  might  have  been  seen  R.  B. 
Hughes  (Dick  Hughes),  with  pencil  in  hand,  and  paper 
on  his  knee,  patiently  taking  notes  for  "copy"  for  the 
Black  Hills  Weekly/  Pioneer,  and  by  his  side,  using  a  part 
of  the  same  pencil.  Rev.  Smith,  who  was  waylaid  and 
murdered  by  Indians  about  three  weeks  later. 

It  was  proven  at  the  trial  that  Carty,  although  an  acces- 
sory to  the  murder,  did  not  inflict  the  fatal  injuries,  in 
accordance  with  which  fact  the  jury,  after  a  brief  delibera- 
tion, handed  in  a  verdict  of  "Guilty  of  assault  and  bat- 


366  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

tery."  The  prisoner  was  discharged  by  the  court,  and  given 
save  convoy  out  of  the  country  under  a  strong  guard  of 
armed  men,  who  took  him  to  Deadwood,  procured  a  horse 
for  him  to  ride,  escorted  him  to  the  limits  of  the  town, 
where  he  mounted,  and  with  an  exultant  whoop  rode 
away,  and  the  Black  Hills  saw  him  no  more  forever. 

THE    MURDER    OF    WILD    BILL. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  August  2nd,  1876,  the  denizens 
of  Deadwood,  in  the  vicinity  of  lower  Main  street,  were 
startled  by  a  loud  pistol  report,  immediately  followed  by 
the  hurried  tramping  of  a  multitude  of  human  feet,  when 
the  excited  cry  of  '«  Wild  Bill  is  shot !  Wild  Bill  is  shot !  " 
rang  out  above  the  wild  tumult  of  the  gathering  crowd. 
At  almost  the  same  time  a  man  might  have  been  seen 
backing  away  up  Main  street,  holding  a  loaded  revolver  in 
each  hand  to  keep  at  bay  a  large  posse  of  excited  citizens, 
who  were  following  in  close  pursuit.  After  a  short  chase 
the  desperate  man  was  captured  and  brought  back  to  No. 
10,  the  scene  of  the  shooting,  where  he  was  held  in  custody 
to  await  his  fate. 

A  strong  guard  was  placed  around  the  building  to  keep 
the  prisoner  from  the  clutches  of  an  excited  mob,  deter- 
mined to  give  him  short  shrift  for  his  crime.  Just  at  a 
critical  time  a  force  of  about  fifty  well-armed  men  —  the 
body-guard  of  Carty,  who  had  just  been  acquitted  of  the 
murder  of  Hinch  —  arrived  from  Gayville  with  their 
charge.  After  setting  Carty  free  at  the  lower  end  of  town 
they  consented  to  aid  in  protecting  the  prisoner  from  the 
threatening  mob. 

While  Wild  Bill  was  playing  cards  in  Nuttall  &  Maw's 
saloon,  known  as  No.  10,  wholly  unconscious  of  threatened 
danger,  McCall  walked  in  behind  his  victim,  raised  his  re- 
volver and  tired,  the  ball  entering  the  back  of  his  head  and 
coming  out  at  the  center  of  his  right  cheek,  killing  him 
instantly. 

A  meeting  of   the    citizens    was    called   at    the    theater 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  367 

building,  at  which  Judge  W.  L.  Kuykendall  was  chosen  to 
preside  at  the  trial  of  the  case.  Isaac  Brown  was  elected 
sheriff,  a  deputy  and  twelve  guards  being  appointed  by  the 
court.  Col.  May  acted  as  prosecuting  attorney,  and  Judge 
Miller  defended  the  prisoner.  The  only  evidence  given 
was  by  the  prisoner  himself,  who  testified  that  Wild  Bill 
had  killed  his  brother,  somewhere  in  Kansas,  and  confessed 
to  committing  the  crime  in  retaliation.  The  jury  chosen 
to  try  the  case,  after  a  brief  deliberation  of  about  thirty 
minutes,  returned  a  verdict  of  "  not  guilty,"  much  to  the 
surprise  and  dissatisfaction  of  hundreds  of  the  people  of 
Deadwood,  who  declared  that  trial  by  jury  in  the  Black 
Hills  was  pretty  much  of  a  farce,  and  that  in  future  murder 
cases  Judge  Lynch  would  preside. 

McCall,  who  immediately  left  the  Hills  on  his  acquittal, 
was  afterwards  arrested  at  Laramie  City,  Wyoming,  by 
Deputy  United  States  Marshal  Balcombe,  and  taken  to 
Cheyenne,  where  he  was  examined  before  United  States 
Commissioner  Burns,  held  upon  the  evidence,  and  sent  to 
Yankton  upon  a  requisition  from  the  Governor  of  Dakota, 
where  he  was  tried,  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  be 
hung,  —  which  sentence  was  promptly  executed. 

Wild  Bill's  remains  were  taken  charge  of  and  buried  by 
his  friends  in  the  old  burying-ground  overlooking  the 
Whitewood.  His  remains  were  afterwards  removed  to 
**  Moriah  Cemetery,"  where  his  ashes  now  repose.  His 
grave,  inclosed  by  an  iron  fence,  is  marked  by  a  rough 
sandstone  obelisk,  about  six  feet  in  height,  surmounted 
by  a  bust  of  the  famous  scout.  This  bust  has  been  sadly 
defaced  by  relic  hunters,  by  reason  of  which  it  to-day 
bears  but  a  little  resemblance  to  the  long-haired,  dashing 
frontiersman  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  On  the  front 
of  the  stone  beneath  crossed  revolvers  is  a  curved  scroll, 
bearing,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  inscription,  "  Custer 
was  lonely  without  him." 

On  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  August  2d,  while  the 
excitement  consequent  upon  the  killing  of  Wild  Bill  was 


368  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

at  its  height,  a  horseman — a  half-breed  Mexican,  came 
(lashing  furiously  up  the  crowded  street  with  a  Sioux 
whoop,  bearing  aloft  an  Indian's  head,  with  its  long  black 
hair  floating  back  with  the  wind,  furnishing  a  weird  and 
most  disgusting  spectacle,  which,  as  may  be  imagined, 
caused  the  tragic  affair  of  the  afternoon  to  pale  into  insig- 
nificance. An  Indian's  scalp  was  just  what  the  average 
Deadwood  citizen  had  been  devoutly  wishing  for.  As  the 
Indians  had  been  making  things  exceedingly  lively  by 
stealing  and  running  off  horses  from  the  settlements  along 
the  northern  border,  the  people  feared  that  a  direct  attack 
upon  Deadwood  was  imminent,  and  the  excitement  became 
intense. 

The  Mexican's  own  story  of  how  he  gained  possession  of 
the  ghastly  trophy  was,  that  some  herders  had  a  brush  with 
a  band  of  red  horse-thieves  in  the  vicinity  of  Crook  City, 
during  which  one  Indian  was  killed,  whereupon  he  sprang 
forward  under  a  brisk  shower  of  bullets  and  attempted  to 
scalp  the  Indian,  but  not  being  an  expert  at  the  business, 
he  cut  off  the  entire  head. 

Another  version  of  the  affair  was  that  on  the  day  pre- 
vious, August  1st,  the  Indians  had  rounded  up  all  the  loose 
stock  around  Crook  City,  and  stampeded  them  across  the 
country  before  the  surprised  inhabitants  had  time  to  offer 
any  resistance.  Among  those  who  made  ready  to  mount 
and  follow  in  pursuit  was  one  Felix  Rooney,  who  realizing 
that  pursuit  would  be  useless,  dismounted  and  lay  down  in 
the  grass  —  holding  the  lariat-rope  to  watch  the  Indians 
rapidly  disappearing  in  the  distance  with  the  property  of 
the  settlers.  VV^hile  there  a  freighter  or  cattle  "  whacker" 
rode  along,  dismounted  and  threw  himself  on  the  grass  by 
the  side  of  Rooney  —  both  of  whom  were  well  armed. 
After  a  short  time  an  Indian  in  war-paint  and  feathers 
dashed  up  toward  Rooney's  horse  —  evidently  thinking 
him  picketed.  Upon  discovering  the  owner  in  the  grass 
he  immediately  seized  his  rifle,  but  finding  it  fast  in  some 
way    he  drew  his  revolver  and  fired,  whereupon  Rooney, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  369 

instead  of  firing  his  gun,  threw  himself  Hat  on  the  grass, 
as  he  imagined  shot. 

It  developed,  however,  that  Rooney  was  unhurt,  while 
the  Indian  lay  dead  —  killed  by  a  bullet  from  the  unerring 
rifle  of  the  intrepid  "bull-whacker."  On  the  next  day, 
August  2d,  the  Mexican  found  the  dead  body  of  the  Indian, 
and  thinking  it  would  be  a  good  scheme,  financially,  to 
secure  the  scalp,  he  essayed  the  operation,  but  finding  he 
could  not  accomplish  the  work  scientifically  decided  to  cut 
off  the  head.  This  latter  version  is  perhaps  the  correct 
one  ;  but  whether  it  is  or  not,  the  fact  remains  that  the  In- 
dian was  decapitated,  and  the  Mexican  by  fair  means  or 
foul,  got  possession  of  the  head,  brought  it  to  Deadwood 
and  paraded  it  along  Main  street  on  the  evening  of  August 
2d,  on  the  strength  of  which  he  secured  from  the  citizens 
of  Deadwood  about  seventy-five  or  eighty  dollars,  every  one 
of  which  he  "  blew  in  "  before  the  dawn  of  the  following 
morninof. 


24 


370  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


C  H  A  P  T  E  K     XXyi. 

INDIAN  RAID  ON  THE  MONTANA  HERD. 

Up  to  this  time  the  people  of  Deadwood  had  felt  them- 
selves comparatively  safe  from  Indian  attack,  not  alone 
because  their  town  was  entrenched  amid  the  battlements 
of  the  Hills,  but  because  of  the  cordon  of  settlements  along 
the  northern  border,  viz..  Crook  City,  Centennial,  and 
Spearfish,  whose  people  were  ever  on  the  alert  to  keep  the 
red  marauders  at  bay.  They  were  rudely  awakened  one 
day,  however,  from  their  sense  of  comparative  security  by 
the  appearance  of  the  painted  savages  almost  at  the  gates 
of  the  city. 

During  the  forenoon  of  that  never-to-be-forgotten  Sun- 
day,  August  20th,  1876,  they  were  made  aware  of  their 
proximity  by  the  sight  of  fifty  or  sixty  badly  frightened 
horses,  rushing  madly  through  town  on  a  wild  stampede. 

The  "  Montana  Herd  "  as  before  stated,  was  established 
by  Burton  and  Cook  on  Centennial  prairie,  where  they 
built  a  large  stockade  or  inclosure  for  the  protection  of  the 
herd  at  night,  the  stock  for  the  most  part  belonging  to 
citizens  of  Deadwood,  and  the  miners  and  prospectors  of 
the  surrounding  camps.  As  the  price  of  hay  and  grain 
was  exorbitant  at  the  time,  nearly  all  horses  coming  to 
Deadwood  were  at  once  sent  to  the  '*  Montana  Herd  " 
where  they  were  kept  for  a  reasonable  consideration,  Bur- 
ton and  Cook  making  daily  trips  across  the  mountains  to 
Deadwood,  a  distance  of  about  six  miles,  to  receive  and 
return  the  stock. 

On  the  20th  of  August  the  Indians  made  a  raid  on  the 
herd  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  four  men,  one  Indian, 
and  the  loss  of  100  head  of  horses.     The  evening  before, 


LAST    HUNTING    GKOUNO    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  371 

the  herd  was  ilriveii  into  the  inclosure  as  usual,  the  gate 
closed  and  a  guard  placed  on  watch,  the  Indians  meanwhile 
watching  the  procedure  from  a  near-by  bluff.  After  all 
had  retired  for  the  night,  the  Indians  stole  down  to  the 
rear  of  the  stockade,  and  in  some  way  dug  out  the  posts 
which  formed  the  structure  while  the  guard  slept,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  making  an  opening  large  enough  for  the  passage 
of  horses,  which  it  was  supposed  they  intended  to  stam- 
pede early  in  the  morning,  while  all  were  profoundly 
sleeping.  If  so  they  failed  to  carry  out  their  programme. 
The  next  morning  the  herd  was  driven  out  to  feed,  as 
was  the  custom.  Cook  had  gone  to  Deadwood  the  evening 
before  and  had  not  yet  returned.  Burton  had  just  started 
for  Deadwood,  with  some  horses  to  return  to  their  owners 
and  had  reached  about  half  way  between  the  camp  and  the 
foot-hills  when,  hearing  a  rifle  shot,  he  looked  back  in  the 
direction  of  the  camp  and  saw  a  large  band  of  Indians 
swooping  down  upon  the  herd.  The  horses  becoming 
frightened  at  the  reports  of  the  rifles  and  the  unearthly  yells 
of  the  Indians,  started  on  a  wild  stampede  over  the  Dead- 
wood  trail, — the  fleetest  of  them  eluding  their  pursuers, 
some  of  whom  followed  them  almost  to  the  limits  of  the 
town,  and  it  was  when  near  the  "  Rest"  on  the  old  trail 
between  Deadwood  and  Crook  City,  that  Rev.  Henry 
Weston  Smith  met  his  fate  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians  on 
that  day. 

About  fifty  or  sixty  of  the  stampeded  horses  came  career- 
ing wildly  along  the  main  street  of  Deadwood,  causing  great 
consternation  and  excitement.  Some  of  the  horses  were 
caught,  and  in  sL  very  brief  time  about  twenty-five  well- 
armed  men  W'ere  mounted  on  the  stampeded  horses,  and 
away  over  the  trail  to  the  relief  of  the  herders  at  the 
stockade.  Meanwhile  the  Indians  had  rounded  up  about 
100  head  of  horses  and  driven  them  on  towards  Lookout 
Mountain,  east  of  Spearfish,  then  on  across  the  Red  water 
to  the  north. 

Finding  the  herders  unharmed,  on  reaching  the  stockade 


372  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

the  party  followed  up  the  trail  of  the  Indians,  hoping  to 
overtake  them  and  recover  the  stock.  On  riding  down 
Spring  creek,  Isaac  Brown,  who  was  a  little  in  advance  of 
the  others,  saw  skulking  along  a  ravine  a  lone  Indian,  who 
opened  fire  on  the  party,  which  was  returned  without  effect 
on  either  side.  When  the  main  party  came  up,  it  advanced 
cautiously  on  the  position  of  the  Indian,  who  from  his 
place  of  concealment  behind  a  clump  of  bushes  could  plainly 
see  his  pursuers,  but  could  not  be  seen  by  them,  his  exact 
position  being  revealed  only  when  he  fired. 

Brown  and  Holland  advanced  from  an  exposed  point  still 
nearer  the  ambushed  Indian,  who  then  fired,  killing  Brown 
instantly;  Holland,  guided  by  the  direction  of  the  fatal 
shot,  aimed  his  gun  at  the  Indian's  head,  as  he  supposed, 
and  fired,  crying  out  at  the  same  time:  "  Come  on,  boys, 
I've  got  him,"  which  were  his  last  words,  as  at  that  mo- 
ment he  fell  pierced  through  the  body  by  a  bullet  from  the 
Indian's  gun. 

All  efforts  to  dislodge  him  proved  unsuccessful ;  rocks 
and  boulders  were  hurled  down  upon  him  without  avail. 
Night  coming  on,  the  party  deciding  that  any  further 
attempt  to  dislodge  him  would  be  useless  and  might  result 
in  the  death  of  others,  withdrew  out  of  range  of  his  gun  to 
consider  how  to  recover  the  bodies  of  Brown  and  Holland 
that  were  lying  within  a  few  feet  of  the  Indian's  hiding- 
place.  A  reward  of  $500  was  offered  by  Brown's  partner 
for  the  recovery  of  his  body,  but  as  no  one  felt  inclined  to 
risk  the  dangerous  undertaking,  the  party  decided  to  go  to 
Spearfish,  and  return  in  the  morning  for  the  bodies.  The 
next  day  they  were  found  —  stripped  of  their  clothing, 
arms,  and  ammunition  —  and  conveyed  to  Deadwood  for 
interment. 

Papers  found  on  the  body  of  Charles  Holland  revealed 
-that  he  was  an  Odd  Fellow,  from  Sioux  City,  Iowa.  At 
that  time,  August  21st,  1876,  the  first  steps  were  taken 
towards  the  organization  of  a  lodge  of  that  order  in  the 
Black  Hills.     A  committee  of  three  '*  past  grands,"  viz., 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  373 

Judge  W.  L.  Kuykendall,  Frank  C.  Thullen,  and  Green 
Todd  was  appointed  to  examine  applicants  for  recognition, 
when  a  temporary  organizition  was  effected,  by  whicli 
organization  Charles  Holland  was  buried,  Dr.  Babcock,  of 
Deadvvood,  reading  from  their  ritual  the  impressive  burial 
service  of  the  order.  Isaac  Brown's  remains  were  taken 
charge  of  by  members  of  the  Masonic  order,  of  which  he 
also  was  a  member,  and  both  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  old 
cemetery  overlooking  Whitewood  creek. 

THE    WOLF    MOUNTAIN    STAMPEDE. 

During  the  month  of  July,  1876,  an  untraceable  rumor 
of  the  discovery  of  fabulously  rich  diggings  somewhere  out 
among  the  lower  ranges  of  the  Big  Horn  Mountains,  was 
set  afloat,  causing  the  maddest  of  mad  stampedes  from  the 
rich  mining  camp  of  Deadwood.  Although  the  pretended 
discoverers  guarded  the  secret  of  the  precise  spot  of  their 
wonderful  find  well,  it  got  whispered  around  that  a  "  bald 
peak  "  among  the  Wolf  mountain  ranges  marked  the 
locality,  which  all  believed  they  would  have  little  difficulty 
in  finding. 

Numerous  horsemen,  and  pack  outfits  galore,  surrepti- 
tiously left  Deadwood  —  some  under  the  cover  of  night  — 
and  made  their  way  westward  over  the  plains,  none  know- 
ing whither,  each  eager  to  be  the  first  to  reach  the  reputed 
land  of  gold  and  stake  off"  their  claims. 

After  wandering  aimlessly  for  many  days  over  the  West- 
ern plains  and  among  the  mountains  —  like  a  ship  without 
rudder  or  compass  —  in  search  of  the  "  bald  mountain  " 
that  looked  down  upon  the  hidden  treasure,  suffering  ter- 
rible hardships  and  exposure,  in  the  face  of  deadly  peril, 
the  quest  was  finally  abandoned.  Some  turned  their  steps 
southward  and  reached  civilization  on  the  Union  Pacific 
Railway  ;  others  penetrated  the  Big  Horn  Mountains  and 
later  made  their  way  to  the  mines  of  Montana.  One  party, 
after  having  been  severely  harassed  by  the  Indians,  a  few 
meeting  death  at  their  hands,  reached  and  wintered  on  the 


374  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Crow  reservation.  Many  fonnd  their  way  back  to  Dead- 
wood  gulch  far  wiser,  if  not  richer  men. 

The  story  of  the  rich  discovery,  which  turned  out  to  be 
a  cruel  fabrication,  was  circulated,  it  was  suspected,  for 
purpose  of  profit  on  the  sale  of  horses,  etc. 

The  following  excellent  doggerel  from  the  ready  pen  of 
the  versatile  Jack  Langrishe,  is  a  good  portrayal  of  the 
sorry,  woe-begone  appearance  of  the  badly  sold  Wolf 
Mountain  stampeders  on  their  return  to  Deadwood  :  — 

*«  This  is  the  man  of  whom  we  read, 

Who  left  Deadwood,  on  the  big  stampede  ; 
He's  now  returned,  all  tattered  and  torn, 
From  looking  for  sold  on  the  Big  Horn. 

He  has  no  malt. 
He  has  no  cat. 
He  has  no  coat. 
He  has  no  hat. 

His  trousers  are  patched  with  an  old  fiour  sack, 
With  "  for  family  use  "  to  be  seen  on  the  back  ; 
His  beard  is  shaggy,  his  hair  is  long 
And  this  is  the  burden  of  his  song: 
'  If  ever  I  hear,  if  ever  I  read 
Of  another  great  or  big  stampede, 
I'll  listen,  but  I'll  give  no  heed. 
But  stay  in  my  cabin  at  Deadwood.' 

He  paid  ten  dollars  the  other  day 
For  a  mule  to  carry  his  '  grub  '  away, 
He  packed  his  load  in  half  an  hour. 
Two  gallons  of  whisky,  one  pound  of  tlour. 

He  bought  a  shovel, 
And  borrowed  a  pick. 
He  sported  his  watch, 
And  went  on  tick. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  375 

For  a  side  of  bacon  and  a  can  of  lard. 
Now  look  at  his  fate!   My  !  isn't  it  hard? 
He  walked  all  day  and  most  of  the  night, 
And  now  he  is  back  a  sorrowful  sight, 
To  the  cabin  he  built  in  Deadwood. 

PROVISIONAL    CITY    GOVERNMENT    E'OR    DEADWOOD. 

The  demand  for  some  kind  of  municipal  government, 
vested  by  the  concessions  of  the  people  of  Deadwood  with 
power  to  enact  laws,  securing  the  city  against  fires,  and  for 
the  suppression  of  the  reckless  discharge  of  fire-arms  within 
its  limits,  and  other  lawless  acts  placing  the  lives  of  its 
•citizens  in  jeopardy,  and  also  for  the  more  rigid  enforce- 
ment of  the  rules  and  regulations  against  the  use  of  the 
streets  of  the  city  for  building  and  business  purposes,  be- 
came each  day  more  and  more  apparent.  Realizing  the 
necessity  of  such  an  organization,  a  citizens'  proclamation 
was  issued  for  an  election  to  be  held  in  the  City  Hall  on 
the  11th  of  September,  1876.  Caucuses  were  held  in 
due  form  and  several  different  tickets  appeared  in  the 
field,  the  principal  contest,  however,  being  for  Mayor  and 
City  Marshal.  I  am  not  informed  as  to  whether  the  cam- 
paign was  conducted  along  political  party  lines  or  not;  at 
any  rate  the  election  was  held  as  per  proclamation.  The 
result  was  as  follows  :  — 

For  organization,  1,082  votes;  against  organization,  57 
votes.  E.  B.  Farnum  was  elected  Mayor  and  ex-officio 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  receiving  637  out  of  the  total  vote  of 
1,139.  Keller  Kurtz,  Sol.  Star,  A.  P.  Carter,  and  H.  C. 
Philbrook  were  elected  members  of  the  City  Council. 
Con  Stapleton  was  chosen  City  Marshal  and  John  A.  Swift, 
Clerk  and  Treasurer. 

To  secure  revenue  for  the  support  of  the  new  municipal- 
it}',  an  ordinance  was  adopted  imposing  a  license  for  the 
conduct  of  each  business  and  the  practice  of  each  profes- 
sion in  the  city,  which  license  was,  it  is  believed,  as  a  rule 
promptly  paid. 


376  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

The  following  were  the  number  of  business  houses  in 
Deadwood,  taken  by  order  of  the  City  Council,  about  the 
last  of  September,  1876  :  — 

Assayers,  1;  auctioneers,  4;  amusements,  2;  bath- 
houses, 1;  butchers,  3;  blacksmiths,  2;  bankers,  1;  brew- 
eries, 2;  billiard  tables,  4;  barbershops,  3;  bakeries,  6; 
clothing  houses,  11;  dentists,  1;  doctors,  5;  druggists, 
4;  dry  goods,  1;  dance  houses,  2;  fruit  dealers,  3;  gam- 
ing tables,  14 ;  grocer-merchants,  21 ;  hardware,  2;  hotels, 
5;  jewelers,  3;  job-wagons,  4;  laundries,  8;  lawyers,  7; 
livery  stables,  3 ;  miliners,  1 ;  newspapers,  1 ;  painters, 
3;  photographers,  1;  queensware,  3;  restaurants,  6; 
saloons,  27;   sawmills,  2;   shoemakers,  3;  tailors,  3. 

Monday,  September  25th,  1876,  should  be  chronicled 
as  a  real  red-letter  day  in  the  annals  of  Deadwood,  being 
made  memorable  by  two  very  important  events  ;  one,  the 
arrival  of  the  first  through  coach  of  the  Cheyenne  and 
Black  Hills  stage  line,  bringing  the  first  lady  passenger  to 
Deadwood,  in  the  person  of  Mrs.  R.  B.  Fay.  Among 
the  other  passengers  on  that  first  trip  was  Capt.  C.  V. 
Gardner,  to  whom  Supt.  Voorhees  intrusted  the  grave  re- 
sponsibility of  conducting  the  stage  with  its  load  of  pas- 
sengers safely  through  the  hostile  lines  into  the  Hills; 
Mr.  David  Dickey,  an  old-time  plainsman  who  had  served 
his  apprenticeship  on  the  overland  route  to  California,  held 
the  ribbons  from  Fort  Laramie  to  Deadwood.  The  run- 
ning time  from  Cheyenne  to  Deadwood  was  six  and  one- 
half  days. 

On  that  same  day  the  first  quartz  mill  brought  to  the 
Black  Hills  passed  through  Deadwood,  en  route  to  Gay- 
ville,  when  a  large  portion  of  Deadwood's  citizens  were 
drawn  out  on  the  street  to  behold  its  advent. 

TELEGRAPH    LINE    REACHES    DEADWOOD. 

Perhaps  the  event  of  most  importance  to  the  people 
of  the  Black  Hills  thus  far,  was  the  completion  of  the 
Black    Hills  Telegraph  Line  to  Deadwood,  on  December 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS,     377 

1st,  1876.  By  virtue  of  the  indomitable  pluck  and  the 
unwavering  perseverance  of  the  projector  of  the  enterprise, 
in  the  face^of  multiplied  difficulties  and  dangers,  and  after 
months  of  waiting  on  the  part  of  the  expectant  people 
of  the  Hills,  Deadwood,  the  terminal  point  of  the  line,  was 
ou  that  day  placed  in  direct  telegraphic  communication 
with  the  outside  world.  The  enterprise  which  promised  so 
much  for  the  success  and  prosperity  of  the  business  in- 
terests of  the  Black  Hills  had  at  length  reached  its  frui- 
tion, and  the  citizens  of  Deadwood  were  correspondingly 
jubilant,  hailing  the  event  with  manifestations  of  exceeding 

delight. 

As  soon  as  the  instrument  was  put  in  talking  condition 
there  followed  an  interchange  of  greetings  between 
Cheyenne  and  the  terminal  point  of  the  line.  Under  the 
skiliful  manipulation  of  James  Halley,  the  operator  in 
Deadwood,  the  electric  current  was  tiashed  over  the  wire  to 
Cheyenne,  announcing  to  the  Mayor  of  that  city  the  com- 
pletion of  the  line,  and  that  congratulations  were  in  order, 
to  which  came  back  in  response  the  following:  — 

*«  Cheyenne,  December  Ist,  1876. 
"  To  E.  B.  Farnum,  Mayor  of  Deadwood: 

"  Your  telegram  received.  Accept  thecongratulations  of 
the  citizens  of  Cheyenne,  for  your  people,  and  our  enter- 
prising citizen  —  formerly  —  but  now  your  Hibbard .  We 
have  reached  you  by  telegraph  line,  and  we  have  further 
completed  a  contract  to  shorten  the  road  between  Cheyenne 
and  Deadwood,  sixty  or  seventy  miles,  which  will  be  com- 
pleted in  a  short  time.  We  hope  our  efforts  will  be  recog- 
nized and  appreciated  by  your  people. 

"  C.  R.  Bresnaham, 
"  Mayor  of  Cheyenne." 

In  the  evening  a  large  crowd  of  the  citizens  of  Deadwood, 

and  miners  from  surrounding  camps,  gathered  in  front  of 

the  telegraph  office,  ou  the  north  side  of  upper  Main  street, 

'^        to  celebrate  the  event  in  a  manner  commensurate  with  its 


■378  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

importance.  An  immense  pile  of  combustible  material  — 
consisting  of  pine  knots,  brush,  etc.,  was  kindled,  which 
brightly  illuminated  its  picturesque  environments,  throwing 
its  lurid  glare  far  up  the  rocky  hillsides  flanking  the  narrow 
gnlch  —  presenting  a  scene  which  is  vividly  remembered. 

In  the  exuberance  of  their  joy,  and  as  expressions  of 
their  gratitude  that  they  were  at  last  placed  in  instantaneous 
communication  with  home  and  friends,  and  the  great  cen- 
ters of  trade  in  the  East,  with  anvil  and  plenty  of  gun- 
powder, numerous  salutes  were  tired  that  would  have  dis- 
counted the  most  approved  artillery.  With  the  booming 
of  anvil  artillery,  intermingled  with  the  cheering  of  the 
crowd,  the  celebration  went  gaily  on  until  a  late  hour, 
culminating  in  a  ball  at  the  Grand  Central  Hotel. 

At  the  closino;  function  the  creme-de-la-creme  of  Dead- 
wood  society  was  present.  The  dining-room  of  the  Grand 
Central,  illuminated  by  numerous  coal  oil  lamps,  brightened 
by  the  gorgeous  (?)  toilet  of  the  ladies  and  the  somewhat 
incongruous  "  make-up"  of  the  men,  presented  a  fetching 
scene,  but  the  men  couldn't  help  it,  you  know,  if  some  of 
them  had  to  appear  in  business  suits,  with  white  gloves  and 
white  neckties,  as  in  those  days  people  were  forced  to 
adapt  themselves  to  circumstances,  and  wear  whatever  they 
happened  to  have  on  hand.  Among  the  gentlemen  who 
honored  the  occasion  by  their  presence  were  the  following: 
Captain  Hibbard,  the  hero  of  the  celebration;  Mayor 
Farnum  ;  Messrs.  McPherson,  Kehoe,  Allen,  Adams,  Fay; 
Wagner,  mine  host  of  the  Grand  Central;  Merrick,  of  the 
Black  Hills  Pioneer;  Judges  Whitehead,  Keithly,  and 
McCutcheon ;  Capt.  C.  V.  Gardner,  Doctors  Babcock  and 
Myers;   Messrs.  Berry  and  Thompson. 

It  may  be  proper  to  note  that  but  few  of  the  wives  of 
the  above  named  gentlemen  had  yet  made  their  advent  in 
the  Hills,  which  fact  in  no  perceptible  way  detracted  from 
the  enjoyment  of  the  occasion. 

The  construction  of  the  Black  Hills  telegraph  line  was 
commenced  in  June,   1876,   bv  William  H.  Hibbard,  for 


JAMES     IIALLEY 


First  telegrapher  iu  the  Black  Hills;  sent  the  first  electric  current 

over  the  wires  from  Deadwoocl  to  Cheyenue,  Wyoming^ 

on  December  1st,  1876. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  379 

many  years  superintendent  of  construction  for  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Co.,  but  owing  to  the  hostile  attitude  of 
the  Indians,  he  was  compelled  to  maintain  a  large  paid 
armed  force  to  protect  the  workmen  along  the  line,  which, 
with  other  untoward  circumstances,  so  nearly  exhausted  his 
resources  that  he  was  forced  either  to  abandon  the  project 
or  ask  for  financial  aid  from  those  who  would  be  benefited 
by  the  enterprise. 

Mr.  Hibbard  choosing  the  latter  course,  came  to  Dead- 
wood  in  July  and  laid  the  matter  before  the  business  men 
of  that  city  with  proposals  for  a  loan,  the  nature  of  which 
the  heading  of  a  subscription  then  opened,  will  fully 
explain :  — 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  agree  to  purchase  from 
W.  H.  Hibbard,  telegraph  scrip  to  the  amount  set  opposite 
our  names,  said  scrip  being  guaranteed  by  said  Hibbard  to 
be  redeemed  in  telegraphing  at  regular  rates  for  the  face 
value  thereof  over  a  line  to  be  constructed  between  Fort 
Laramie,  Wyoming,  and  Deadwood  City,  Dakota,  and 
which  scrip  we  agree  to  receive  and  pay  for  at  face  value 
in  cash  as  follows,  to  wit,  one-half  the  amount  subscribed 
whenever  said  telegraph  line  shall  have  been  completed  to 
Custer  City,  Dakota  Territory,  and  the  remaining  one-half 
whenever  said  line  is  completed  to  Deadwood  City,  Dakota 
Territory." 

The  business  men  of  Deadwood,  appreciating  the  advan- 
tages of  rapid  communication  with  the  outside  business 
world,  subscribed  to  the  amount  of  $5,000.00  approxi- 
mately. Custer  also  subscribed  liberally  to  the  loan, 
secured  and  guaranteed  in  the  same  manner,  one-half  to  be 
paid  when  the  line  reached  Red  Canyon,  the  remaining  half 
when  it  reached  Custer  City.  Aid  was  also  secured  in 
Cheyenne.  Thus  financially  fortified,  the  construction  of 
the  line  was  pushed  rapidly  forward,  reaching  Custer  City 
during  the  latter  part  of  October,  and  Deadwood  on  the 
first  of  December,  every  dollar  of  the  scrip  being  after 
wards  redeemed  as  per  contract. 


380  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

FAILURE    OF    THE    BILL    FOR    TERRITORY    OF    LINCOLN. 

The  urgent  petition  presented  to  Congress  in  July,  1876, 
for  the  formation  of  a  separate  and  distinct  Territory,  com- 
prising the  mineral  region  of  the  Black  Hills,  supplemented 
by  the  continuous  earnest  efforts  of  the  people  to  that  end, 
resulted  in  the  formulation  of  a  bill,  in  furtherance  of  the 
project.  The  bill  came  before  the  Senate  for  considera- 
tion in  February,  1877,  and  reads  as  follows:  — 

"  A^Bill  to  establish  the  Territory  of  the  Black  Hills,  and 
to  provide  for  a  temporary  government  thereof: 
*'  Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Congress 
assembled,  that  all  that  portion  of  the  territory  of  the  United 
States,  described  as  follows:  Commencing  at  a  point 
where  the  forty-third  parallel  of  north  latitude  intersects 
with  the  twenty-fifth  meridian  of  longitude  west  from  the 
city  of  Washington,  thence  following  a  due  westerly 
course  along  said  forty-third  parallel  to  its  intersection 
with  the  thirtieth  meridian  west  from  the  city  of  Washing- 
ton; thence  north  along  said  thirtieth  meridian  of  longi- 
tude to  its  intersection  of  the  Yellowstone  river  to  the 
center  of  said  channel  ;  thence  following  the  center  of  said 
channel  to  its  intersection  with  the  forty-seventh  parallel 
to  the  western  boundary  line  of  Dakota  Territory;  thence 
due  south  along  said  boundary  line  to  the  forty-sixth 
parallel  of  north  latitude ;  thence  due  east  along 
said  forty-sixth  parallel  to  the  twenty-fifth  meridian 
of  longitude  west  from  the  city  of  Washington ; 
thence  south  along  said  twenty-fifth  meridian  to  the  place 
of  beginning.  Be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  organized  into 
a  temporary  government  —  by  the  name  of  Lincoln  Terri- 
tory. 

"  Sec.  2.  That  the  said  Territory  of  Lincoln,  and  the  sev- 
eral officers  thereof,  shall  be  invested  with  all  the  right, 
powers  and  privileges,  and  be  subject  to  all  regulations. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUN'D    Or  THE   DAKOTAHS.  381 

restrictions  and  provisions  contained  in  Cliaptei-  1  of  Title 
23  of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  the  United  States,  except  as 

herein  otherwise  provided.  ,.      ■.  ,  „f  .„;,! 

.<  Sec  3  That  the  legislative  power  and  authority  of  said 
Territory  shall  be  vested  in  the  Governor  and  Legislative 
Assembly.  The  Legislative  Assembly  shall  consist  of  a 
Council  and  House  of  Kepresentatives ;  the  Council  haU 
consist  of  nine  members,  which  may  be  increased  to  thu- 
teen  members  having  the  qualifications    of  voters  m  sa.d 

'^"'ser4  The  House  of  Representatives  shall  consist  of 
thirteen  members,  which  may  be  increased  to  twenty-seven 
members,  possessing  the  same  qualifications  as  are  herein 
prescribed  for  the  members  of  the  Council;  provided, 
ha  "he  ri.ht  of  voting  and  holding  oifice  in  said  Territory 
shall  be  exercised  only  by  inhabitants  thereof  who  are 
oitizens  of  the  United  States. 

..Sec  5  That  a  delegate  to  the  House  of  Representatives 
of  the  United  States  to  serve  during  such  Congress  of  the 
United  States  be  elected  by  the  voters  of  said  Territory,  qual- 
ified to  elect  members  of  the  Legislative  Assembly,  who 
shall  be  entitled  to  all  and  the  same  rights  and  privileges  as 
are  exercised  and  enjoyed  by  the  delegates  from  the  several 
other  Territories  in  said  House  of  Representatives  pro- 
vided that  no  person  shall  be  a  delegate  who  shall  not 
have  attained  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  and  have  the 
other  qualifications  of  a  voter  in  said  Territory. 

..Sec  6  That  when  the  land  in  said  Territory  shall  be 
surveyed  under  the  direction  of  the  government  ot  the 
United  States  preparatory  to  bringing  the  same  into  the 
market,  sections  sixteen  and  thirty-six  in  each  townsh  p 
in  said  Territory  shall  be,  and  the  same  is,  hereby  reserved 
for  the  purpose  of  being  applied  to  schools  in  the  State  oi 
States,  hereafter  to  be  erected  out  of  the  same. 

'.Sec    7.  That  the  President  of  the  United  States,  by  and 

with  the  consent  of  the  Senate,  shall    be    and    is  hereby 
authorized  to  appoint  a  Surveyor-General  for  the  said  Tern- 


382 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


tory,  who  shall  locate  his  oiBce  at  such  place  as  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior  shall  from  time  to  time  direct,  and  whose 
duties,  powers,  obligations,  responsibilities,  compensations,, 
and  allowances  for  clerk  hire,  office  rent,  fuel,  and  inci- 
dental expenses,  shall  be  the  same  as  those  of  the  Territory 
of  Dakota  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  and  under  instructions  as  he  may  deem  advisable 
from  time  to  time  to  grive." 

Despite  the  efforts  put  forth  both  at  Washington  and  at 
home  in  its  behalf  the  bill  failed.  When  the  question  of 
the  division  of  the  Territory  and  its  admission  into  the 
sisterhood  of  States  as  two  States  came  before  the  people 
in  1886-9,  the  question  of  a  separate  State  for  the  Black 
Hills  was  again  agitated  by  the  people  of  the  Hills  to  no 
purpose. 


GRANVILLE     G.    BENNETT, 

First  Judge  of  the  First  Territorial  District  Court  in  tlie  Black  Hills. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  383 


CHAPTEE    XXVII. 

THE    BLACK   HILLS   OPENED    TO    SETTLEMENT. 

With   the  ratification  of   the    Sioux  Treaty  of  1876  by 
Congress,  and  its  approval  by  the  President  on  February 
28tb    1877,  we  enter    upon  a  new  and  important  epoch  in 
Black  Hills  history.     By  the  extinguishment  of  the  Sioux 
title  thereto,  the  stigma  of  outlawry  was  removed  from  the 
people   and  thev  became  invested  with  all  the  rights,  priv- 
ileges   and  powers  of    American  citizens,  and  inasmuch  as 
up°to  that  time  they  had  been,  in  a  great  degree,  isolated 
from  the  rest  of  the  world  and  entirely  outside  the  pale 
of  the   law,  they  were,  as  may  be  imagined,  a  correspond- 
inaly    gratified    people.     The    coveted    territory    was     at 
las",  secured  to  them  for  a  habitation  all  their  own,  where 
each  from   the  shelter  of  his  own   vine  and  fig  tree  could 
vvatch,    unmolested,    the    coming   dawn   of    a  better  civd- 

ization.  ,  ,  .  t    •   -i 

It  took  not  long  to  set  all  the  complex  machinery  ot  civil 
government  in  operation,  nor  for  the  people  to  become 
adjusted  to  the  new  order  of  things. 

Under    an   Act  of  the  Territorial  Legislature,  the  bov- 
ernor  appointed  three  commissioners  to  organize  a  county 
government  for  each  of  the  three  counties  into  which  the 
Black  Hills  was  originally  divided;  regular  United  States 
courts  were  established  by  the  government,  as  also  United 
States  postal  service,  at  all   important  points  in  the  Black 
Hills      In  April,  1877,  Judge  Granville  G.  Bennett,  under 
appointment  by  the    President,    arrived    in    Deadwood  to 
establish  and  assume  jurisdiction  of  the  courts  of  the  Black 
Hills,  which    then    formed    a   part  of    the  First   Judical 
District  of  Dakota  Territory. 


384  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

Under  the  new  conditions  a  radical  and  salutary  change 
in  the  material  and  social  economy  of  the  Hills  soon 
became  apparent.  Capital  seeking  profitable  investment 
in  the  many  rich  quartz  mines  then  in  process  of  develop- 
ment, began  to  make  its  way  into  the  country;  enterpris- 
ing business  men,  fortified  with  ample  means,  ventured 
into  the  Hills  with  their  families,  and  identified  themselves 
with  their  commercial  interests  ;  others,  who  had  braved 
the  perils  of  a  journey  over  the  plains  at  an  earlier  date, 
but  who  had  prudently  left  their  families  behind  until  the 
danger  was  past,  or  perhaps  to  see  whether  a  prize  or  a 
blank  awaited  them,  in  the  then  uncertain  future  of  the 
new  El  Dorado,  sent  for  their  household  goods,  and 
founded  permanent  homes  in  the  towns,  or  on  the  fertile 
valleys  and  plains. 

JUDGES      OF      THE      BLACK      HILLS      DISTRICT       AND       CIRCUIT 

COURTS. 

Appended  is  a  list  of  the  judges  who  have  presided  over 
the  District  and  Circuit  Courts  of  the  Black  Hills  since  the 
first  establishment  of  our  regular  courts  i  i  the  spring  of 
1877  to  the  present  time  :  — 

Judore  Granville  C.  Bennett  came  to  the  Black  Hills 
under  appointment  by  President  Hayes,  to  establish  law 
and  order,  in  April,  1877.  He  established  courts  and 
assumed  jurisdiction  on  the  bench  of  the  First  Circuit  of 
the  Territorial  District  Court,  which  he  occupied  until 
September,  1878,  when  he  resigned.  Judge  G.  C.  Moody 
was  appointed  by  President  Hayes  to  fill  the  vacancy,  and 
presided  from  1878  to  October,  1882.  Judge  Wm.  E. 
Church,  of  Morristown,  New  Jersey,  under  appointment  by 
the  Garfield  administration,  occupied  the  bench  from  1882 
to  1886,  when  Judge  Chas.  M.  Thomas  of  Bowling  Green, 
Ky.,  under  appointment  by  President  Cleveland,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  bench  which  he  occupied  until  the  termination 
of  the  Territorial  courts  at  the  close  of  1889. 


HON.    GIDEON    C.    MOODY, 

First  United  States  Senator  from  the  Black  Hills,  South  Dakota. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THK    OAKOTAHS.  385 

In  1889,  when  the  southern  portion  of  Dakota  Territory 
was  admitted  to  Statehood,  the  territory  comprising  the 
Bhick  Hills  was  constituted  the  Seventh  and  Eighth  Judi- 
cial Districts  of  the  State  Circuit  Court,  the  Seventh  con- 
sisting of  the  counties  of  Pennington,  Custer,  and  Fall 
River ;  the  Eighth  of  Lawrence,  Butte,  and  Meade  Counties. 

At  the  first  election  under  the  State  laws  in  the  fall  of 
1889,  Judge  John  W.  Nowlin,  of  Rapid  City,  was  elected 
to  the  bench  of  the  Seventh  Judicial  District,  which  he 
occupied  until  November,  1892,  when,  owing  to  failing 
health,  he  resigned,  and  Judge  Wm.  Gardner,  of  Rapid 
City,  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy  for  the  remainder 
of  the  term.  In  the  fall  of  1893,  Judge  Gardner  was 
elected  to  succeed  himself,  occupying  the  bench  until  Janu- 
ary, 1898,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  the  present  incum- 
bent.  Judge  Levi  McGee. 

In  the  fall  of  1889  Judge  Chas.  M.  Thomas  was  elected 
to  the  bench  of  the  Eighth  Judicial  District,  which  he 
occupied  until  January,  1894,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Judge  A.  J.  Plowman,  of  Deadwood,  who  presided  until 
January,  1898,  when  Judge  Joseph  A.  Moore  donned  the 
ermine. 

HIGHWAY    ROBBERS    AND    ROAD    AGENTS. 

Although,  with  the  cession  of  the  Black  Hills  in  1877, 
Indian  hostilities  were  reduced  to  a  minimum,  and  little 
danger  was  apprehended  from  that  source,  the  lines  of 
public  travel  were  still  menaced  by  danger  of  quite  another 
sort.  Instead  of  being  swooped  down  upon  by  bands. of 
yelling,  whooping  savages,  passengers  were  liable  at  any 
time  and  point  on  the  route,  to  be  confronted  by  the 
apparition  of  several  masked  figures,  silently  emerging 
from  some  shadowy  recess  near  the  road,  and  to  find 
themselves  suddenly  looking  into  the  persuasive  muzzles  of 
several  six-shooters,  at  short  range,  or  shot-guns  at  longer 
range,  and  greeted,  in  sepulchral  tones,  with  the  per- 
emptory mandate  of  "  Hold  up  your  hands/'  —  which  dis- 


386  ■  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

courteous  mandate  was  usually  obeyed  with  the  utmost 
alacrity.  While  in  this  helpless  attitude  of  solemn  invoca- 
tion, they  were  systematically  searched,  and  relieved  of  all 
their  superfluous  belongings,  such  as  money,  watches, 
jewehy,  or  other  valuables  found  upon  their  persons. 
Occasionally,  however,  a  passenger,  with  more  courage 
than  discretion,  would  reach  for  his  hip  pocket,  whip  out 
his  revolver  like  a  flash,  and  fire  on  the  masked  robbers  at 
first  sight,  thus  precipitating  a  fight. 

Those  early  knights  of  the  road  did  their  work  with  a 
thoroughness  worthy  of  a  better  cause;  indeed  they  had 
the  profession  reduced  to  a  fine  art.  As  some  now  in  the 
Black  Hills  who  have  been  put  through  the  course  will 
remember,  their  modus  operandi  was  as  follows:  First, 
after  being  compelled  to  dismount  and  stand  in  a  row,  pas- 
senger's pockets  were  emptied  of  their  contents,  then  the 
internal  economy  of  the  men's  hats  and  women's  bonnets 
and  coiffures  were  carefully  examined  —  they  were  no 
respectors  of  persons,  those  Sir  Knights,  —  then  hands 
were  deftly  and  caressingly  passed  over  their  clothing  in 
quest  of  any  bulges  or  })umps  not  accounted  for  b}^  the  aver- 
age human  anatomy,  and  lastly  men's  boots  and  women's 
shoes  were  pulled  off  to  secure  the  possible  wad  of  green- 
backs, or  some  cherished  article  of  jewelry  hidden  in  the 
toes  thereof. 

While  1877  began  an  epoch  of  material  prosperity  for 
the  Black  Hills,  it  also  began  what  may  appropriately  be 
designated  the  era  of  "hold-ups,"  horse-stealing  and 
*'  cattle-rustling."  In  the  early  years,  before  the  advent  of 
railroads,  when  passengers  were  transported  and  the  gold- 
dust  and  bullion  product  of  the  Hills  was  shipped  by  stage 
over  the  plains,  the  country  surrounding  the  Black  Hills 
was  infested  by  as  desperate  and  conscienceless  bands  of 
robbers  as  ever  inflicted  their  unwelcome  presence  on  anew 
mining  camp.  As  a  consequence  "  hold-ups  "  and  stage 
robberies  were  \evy  common  occurrences — in  fact  they 
were  the  rule  and  not  the  exception. 


LAST    HUNTING    GItOUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  387 

Perhaps  the  first  attempt  at  stage  robbery  within  the 
limits  of  the  Hills  was  made  near  Deadwood,  on  the  night 
of  March  25th,  1877,  resulting  in  the  killing  of  Johnny 
Slaughter,  driver  of  the  Sidney  and  Black  Hills  stage 
coach.  The  stage,  it  appears,  left  Custer  City  on  that  day 
with  eleven  passengers, — ten  men  and  one  woman,  viz. : 
Harry  Lake,  Walter  Her,  A.  G.  Smith,  B.  P.  Smith, 
Chas.  Burns,  Angus  McMasters,  Charlie  Ostram,  Mattie 
Ostram,  and  three  other  names  unknown,  and  $15,000  in 
cash,  in  charge  of  Harry  Lake,  for  Stebbins,  Wood  & 
Co.'s  bank,  now  the  First  National  Bank  of  Deadwood. 
When  five  miles  north  of  Hill  City  the  stage  became  dis- 
abled, causing  considerable  delay,  as  it  had  to  travel 
slowly. 

When,  at  eleven  o'clock  that  night,  the  lumbering,  crip- 
pled coach,  with  its  load  of  tired  passengers,  reached  the 
mouth  of  Gold  Run,  about  where  the  Pluma  Mill  now 
stands,  five  men  were  noticed  marching  alonor  the  middle  of 
the  road  ahead,  one  a  little  in  advance  of  the  others,  who, 
when  the  stage  approached  them,  separated  two  on  each 
-;ide,  apparently  to  let  it  pass.  Just  as  the  stage  got 
abreast  of  them,  one  of  the  men  on  the  left  suddenly 
thrust  his  gun  into  the  stage  and  fired.  Harry  Lake 
quickly  grasped  the  gun  with  both  hands,  and  held  on  to 
it  with  such  desperate  tenacity  that  the  robber,  in  trying  to 
wrest  it  from  his  grasp,  pulled  him  out  of  the  stage  on  the 
left. 

Meanwhile  the  advance  agent  had  leveled  his  shot-gun  and 
tired  at  the  driver,  who  fell  dead  from  the  box  on  the  right, 
the  charge  grazing  the  elbow  of  Her  who  was  in  the  act  of 
reaching  around  to  his  right  side  pocket  for  his  revolver. 
Her  and  Burns,  who  rode  on  the  box,  supposing  the  driver 
had  jumped  otf  the  box  to  avoid  the  shot,  also  at  almost 
the  same  moment  jumped  and  made  for  a  place  of  shelter 
and  long  range.  The  horses,  becoming  frightened  at  the 
shooting,  immediately  started  on  a  wild  run  towards  Dead- 
wood  with  the  stage  and  its  five  terrified,  white-faced  pas- 


388  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OR, 

sengers,  followed  by  a  volley  from  the  guns  of  the  robbers  ^ 
who  then  made  good  their  escape  without  any  booty.  It 
all  occurred  in  a  much  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  the 
stor3^  In  their  mad  flight  the  wheel  horses  got  tangled  up 
in  the  lines  in  such  a  way  as  to  turn  the  lead  team  entirely 
around,  so  that  after  running  a  distance  of  about  a  half 
mile,  they  came  to  a  dead  halt.  Soon  after,  Lake,  Her, 
and  Burns  put  in  an  appearance,  but  the  unfortunate  driver 
came  not. 

The  passengers,  after  straightening  up  the  tangled  out- 
fit, proceeded  to  Deadwood,  where  they  arrived  at  about 
midnight.  The  story  soon  spread  over  the  city,  creating 
intense  excitement  and  indignation  that  such  a  bold  attempt 
at  highway  robbery  should  be  made  almost  within  the 
shadow  of  its  buildings.  A  party,  composed  of  A.  G. 
Smith,  John  Manning,  and  West  Travis,  followed  by 
others,  hastened  to  the  scene  of  the  encounter  in  search  of 
Slanghter,  whose  dead  body  was  soon  found  where  it  fell 
from  the  box.  Upon  examination  it  was  found  that  thir- 
teen buckshot  had  entered  directly  over  the  heart,  twelve 
of  them  forming  a  perfect  circle.  This  affair  of  the  road, 
which  occurred  just  before  the  establishment  of  law  in  the 
Black  Hills,  was  the  only  "  hold-up  "  ever  attempted 
within  the  limits  of  Lawrence  County.  Seth  Bullock,  who 
about  this  time  received  his  appointment  as  Sheriff  of  Law- 
rence County,  took  prompt  measures  to  hunt  down  the 
perpetrators  of  the  crime,  but,  it  is  believed,  without 
success. 

Again,  in  July,  1877,  the  Sidney  coach  was  stopped 
about  four  miles  south  of  Battle  creek  and  robbed  of  the 
treasure  box,  and  the  passengers  relieved  of  their  money, 
watches,  jewelry,  and  baggage.  The  gold  shipments  were 
first  sent  out  in  an  iron  or  steel  treasure  box,  under  guard 
of  armed  men. 

The  officers  of  the  newly-established  law  in  the  Hills 
were  ever  on  the  alert  for  the  outlaws,  keeping  close  *'  tab  " 
on    all    persons    hanging  about  the   town  without  visible 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  389 

means  of  support,  or  suspicious  characters  lurking  in  the 
shadows  of  public  resorts,  and  their  keen  untiring  vigilance 
and  evident  determination  to  hunt  down  and  drive  out  the 
desperate  gang  from  the  country  made  it  the  part  of  wis- 
dom and  prudence  for  them  to  change  their  base  of  opera- 
tions from  the  Hills  to  a  less  torrid  clime,  where  they 
felt  they  would  be  safe  from  the  terrible  sleuth-hounds  of 
Black  Hills  law. 

They  finally  made  their  stamping  ground  at  Hat  creek  — 
a  point  on  the  stage  route,  remote  from  the  settlements  of 
the  Hills,  where  they  thought  they  could  ply  their  avoca- 
tion of  stage  robbery  with  impunity.  From  this  point  they 
continued  to  hold  up  and  rob  stage  coaches  with  great 
regularity  ;  in  fact  robberies  became  so  frequent  that  the 
driver  always  expected  to  be  held  up  when  they  had  treas- 
ure aboard,  and  at  certain  points  on  the  route  looked  for  a 
man  or  men  with  shot-guns  to  step  out  from  behind  a  pro- 
jecting rock  and  order  him  to  "  halt  "  and  throw  out  the 
treasure  box. 

HOW  A  DEADWOOD  LADY    SAVED  HER  WATCH, 

Despite  their  seemingly  utter  lack  of  sentiment  or  moral 
scruples,  those  early  bandits  were  not  always  proof  against 
flattery,  as  the  following  episode  will  illustrate.  The  story 
runs  thus:  A  lady,  the  wife  of  a  well-known  Deadwood 
citizen,  was,  upon  a  time,  a  passenger  on  one  of  the  stage 
coaches  that  was  held  up  on  the  Sidney  route.  The  lady 
had  a  watch  on  her  person  that  she  highly  valued,  and 
while  the  robbers  were  engaged  in  securing  the  property 
of  the  other  passengers  she  slyly  concealed  it  among  the 
coils  of  her  back  h;ur.  One  of  the  robbers  soon  ap- 
proached her  and  demanded  her  money  and  valuables, 
which  she  readily  yielded  up,  with  the  exception  of  the 
watch.  The  robber  either  accidentally  or  otherwise  es- 
pied the  watch,  reached  out  and  took  it,  and  was  coolly 
transferring  it  to  his  pocket,  when  the  lady  in  imploring 
accents  cried:    "Please,  Mr.  Eobber  !  good  Mr.  Robber  I 


390  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

dear  Mr.  Robber!  don't  take  my  watcli."  The  robber, 
unable  to  withstand  the  stirring  appeal,  and,  perhaps, 
struck  by  the  humor  of  the  situation,  with  a  hearty  laugh 
handed  the  watch  back  to  its  owner.  Such  generosity, 
however,  was  but  rarely  displayed. 

Another  lady,  a  sister-in-law  of  W.  H.  Harlow,  now  a 
resident  of  Spearfish,  when  leaving  the  Hills  in  1878,  took 
the  precaution  before  starting  of  concealing  the  contents 
of  her  purse,  amounting  to  $100  or  such  a  matter,  among 
the  intricate  meshes  of  her  back  hair,  hoping  to  smuggle  it 
through  without  discovery,  but,  alas  !  at  a  point  on  the 
road  known  as  "  Eagle's  Nest,"  the  stage  was  held  up  and 
the  passengers  robbed  of  all  their  valuables,  and  the  roll 
of  greenbacks  so  carefull}^  concealed  iu  the  young  lady's 
hair  did  not  escape  detection. 

THE    DEAD  WOOD    FAMOUS    TREASURE    COACH. 

As  a  last  desperate  expedient  to  defeat  the  purposes 
of  the  outlaws.  Superintendent  Voorhees,  of  the  Sidney 
and  Black  Hills  Stage  and  Express  Line,  had  built  the 
historic  Deadwood  treasure  coach,  designed  expressly  for 
the  transportation  of  Black  Hills  gold.  This  famous 
coach,  a  familiar  object  to  all  old-timers,  was  a  strongly 
constructed  and  formidable  affair,  lined  with  heavy  steel  or 
iron  plate,  intended  to  defy  the  bullets  of  the  desperate 
bandits.  Passengers  entering  or  returning  from  the  Hills 
by  the  ordinary  passenger  coaches  frequently  shipped  their 
valuables  on  the  treasure  coach  for  greater  security,  it 
being  regarded  as  nearly  invulnerable. 

When  completed  it  was  put  on  the  road  under  the  escort 
of  five  picked  men,  unerring  pistol  shots,  with  Scott 
Davis  as  Chief  Messeno-er  —  all  armed  with  shot-gruns  and 
six-shooters,  to  guard  the  treasure  on  its  dangerous  way 
over  the  line.  Brave,  intrepid,  and  nervy  men  were  those 
messengers  who  guarded  the  gold  dust  and  the  bullion  out 
of  the  Black  Hills   during  those  early  days,  and  the  story 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  391 

of  their  daring  adventures  on  their  perilous  trips  is  by  no 
means  the  least  interesting  portion  of  Black  Hills  history. 

Several  trips  were  made  by  the  new  coach  without 
encountering  any  danger,  but  a  time  came  later  when  the 
true  metal  of  the  iron-protected  vault  on  wheels,  as  well 
as  the  nerve  of  the  messengers  in  charge  of  the  treasure, 
were  put  to  a  crucial  test.  That  occasion  was  the 
memorable  Cold  Springs  robbery  of  1878. 

One  day,  during  that  year,  the  treasure  coach  with  three 
messengers  and  a  telegraph  operator  named  Campbell 
aboard,  and  Big  Gene,  the  driver,  on  the  l)ox,  drove  up  as 
usual  to  the  stage  station  at  Cold  Springs  without  dream- 
ing that  danger  lurked  about  the  place.  Everything  about 
the  premises  bore  its  wonted  aspect  of  security.  The 
stages  had  never  been  attacked  at  the  stations.  The  horses 
were  halted  at  the  door  of  the  station,  the  driver  threw 
the  lines  he  had  held  over  the  six  horses  to  the  ground, 
and  was  preparing  to  dismount  from  the  box,  when, 
suddenly,  as  a  thunder-clap  from  a  clear  sky,  a  loud  report 
of  fire-arms  rang  out,  and  a  deadly  hail  of  bullets  came 
hurtlino;  asainst  the  side  and  throuo;h  the  coach,  killino- 
Campbell  and  dangerously  wounding  Gale  Hill,  one 
of  the  messengers ;  Scott  Davis,  Chief  Messenger,  also 
slightly  wounded,  taking  in  the  situation  at  one  glance, 
jumped  to  the  ground  on  the  opposite  side  from 
where  their  assailants  stood,  and  made  for  the  heavy 
timber  near  by,  under  cover  of  which  he  opened  a  brisk 
fusillade  on  the  five  desperadoes.  So  fast  and  furious 
came  the  hail  of  shot  from  the  timber  into  the  ranks  of 
the  robbers,  that  two  of  them,  impelled  by  the  instinct 
of  self-preservation,  finally  made  a  sort  of  breastwork 
or  Big  Gene,  whom  they  had  captured  and  disarmed. 
Placing  the  poor  fellow  in  front  of  them,  as  a  protection, 
they  compelled  him  to  walk  towards  the  spot  where  Davis 
was  concealed,  and  when  within  communicating  distance, 
they  warned  him  to  stop  firing  or  take  the  alternative  of 
seeing:  "  Bis:  Gene  "  killed  then  and  there.     Realizing  that 


392  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

the  drivel's  life  was  at  stake,  he  ceased  firing  and,  though 
wounded,  started  at  once  for  the  nearest  stage  station  for 
assistance. 

After  Davis  had  ceased  firing,  the  robbers  compelled  the 
driver  to  seize  a  pick  and  break  open  the  treasure  box, 
when,  after  taking  possession  of  its  contents,  $45,000  in 
gold  bullion,  they  pinioned  "  Big  Gene  "  to  a  wheel  of  the 
coach,  mounted  their  horses  and  rode  away,  leaving  their 
wounded  comrade  where  he  had  fallen.  During  all  these 
proceedings  the  third  messenger  was  lying  stretched  at  full 
length  on  the  bottom  of  the  coach,  apparently  dead.  He 
was  not  dead,  however,  nor  even  wounded,  but  merely  act- 
ing his  part  in  the  tragic  drama,  and  so  well  did  he  perform 
his  diflScult  role,  that  not  even  a  suspicion  of  the  truth 
dawned  upon  the  minds  of  the  outlaws.  By  feigning  death 
he  had  saved  his  own  life,  and  also  gained  some  informa- 
tion that  afterwards  proved  valuable  when  the  search  for 
the  robbers  began.  The  other  two  messengers  were  at  the 
station  below,  where  they  intended  joining  the  force  upon 
the  arrival  of  the  coach. 

The  names  of  the  five  bandits  were  Blackburn,  Wall, 
Brookes,  "  Red  Head  Mike,"  and  Price,  who,  it  was  ascer- 
tained, had  taken  possession  of  the  station  and  concealed 
themselves  before  the  arrival  of  the  coach,  the  stocktenders 
having  been  securely  bound  and  gagged,  to  prevent  them 
giving  the  alarm.  It  was  several  months  before  the 
wounded  outlaw  recovered,  from  whom  a  clue  was  obtained 
as  to  the  identity  of  the  other  members  of  the  gang. 

The  officers  of  the  law  immediately  got  upon  the  trails  of 
the  robbers  and  followed  them  up  until  they  were  nearly  all 
captured  and  most  —  perhaps  all  —  of  the  stolen  treasure 
recovered.  The  vigorous  measures  taken  to  hunt  down  the 
gang  that  infested  the  country  had  a  salutary  effect,  as  no 
other  attempt  was  made  to  hold  up  the  treasure  shipments 
on  that  route. 

It  is  now  recalled  that  a  few,  at  least,  of  that  desperate 
israns:  of  outlaws  who  infested  the  Black  Hills  region  during 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  393 

the  late  '70s  were  brought  to  justice  in  Dead  wood  in  the 
summer  of  1877,  I  think  it  was,  and  it  was  this  way:  — 

As  I  was  walking  leisurely  down  Sherman  street  one  Sun- 
day in  July  of  that  year,  when  in  the  vicinity  of  the  old  log 
jail  my  attention  was  attracted  to  a  wild  commotion  in  the 
street  below,  and  a  horseman  was  seen  speeding  avvay  over 
the  hills  to  the  right  followed  by  a  volley  of  bullets,  the  rider 
turning  in  his  saddle  occasionally  to  tire  back  at  his  pursu- 
ers. Skipping  nimbly  away  out  of  the  possible  range  of 
some  stray  bullet,  I  saw  no  more,  but  upon  inquiry  later 
the  following  facts  relative  to  the  exciting  episode  were 
eliminated  :  — 

D.  B.  May,  a  ranchman  from  Lance  creek.,  on  the  Chey- 
enne river,  thought  he  recognized  among  the  motley  crowd 
gathered  in  front  of  the  post-office,  one  of  a  gang  that 
"  held  up  "  the  Black  Hills  stage  coach  about  four  weeks 
before,  robbing  him  of  $70  in  money.  Upon  communicat- 
ing his  suspicion  to  others,  a  man  named  Goldman 
approached  the  suspected  individual  and  slapped  him  upon 
the  shoulder,  whereupon  he  quickly  pulled  his  revolver  and 
fired,  the  ball  grazing  the  arm  of  Mr.  May,  who  promptly 
returned  the  fire.  The  stranger  then  quickly  mounted  his 
horse,  which  was  hitched  near  by,  and  made  for  the  hills, 
emptying  the  chambers  of  his  revolver  at  the  pursuing 
crowd  as  he  rode.  He  had  not  gone  far  when  a  well- 
directed  shot  by  Deputy  Sheriff  Cochrane  brought  both 
horse  and  rider  to  the  ground.  After  clearing  himself 
from  his  fallen  horse  he  tried  to  make  his  escape  on  foot, 
but  was  defeated  in  this  purpose  by  Sheriff  Bullock,  who, 
arriving  opportunely  on  the  scene  in  company  with  Dep- 
uty Captain  Willard,  soon  arrested  the  fugitive  and  had 
him  conveyed  to  jail,  while  he  (Bullock)  and  Deputy  Wil- 
lard started  in  pursuit  of  two  other  men,  who  appeared  to 
be  trying  to  make  their  escape  and  were  being  pursued  by 
Mr.  Gilman.  These  were  also  arrested  and  placed  in  j.iil. 
The  prisoners  gave  their  names  as  Prescott  Webb,  G.  W. 
Webb,  andC.  P.  Wisdom. 


394  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Since  the  advent  of  railroads  in  the  Bhiek  Hills  ship- 
ments of  bullion  from  the  large  mines  are  made  only  semi- 
monthly, and  the  exceeding  precaution  taken  in  making 
such  shipments,  has  reduced  the  danger  of  bullion  robbery 
to  a  minimum.  The  gold  is  molded  into  bricks,  varying 
in  size,  but  usually  about  ten  inches  in  length,  six  inches 
wide,  and  five  inches  in  thickness,  at  the  offices  of  the 
companies.  It  is  customary,  I  am  informed,  for  the 
messenger  to  receive  the  bullion  at  the  offices  of  the 
companies,  where  it  is  receipted  for,  and  then  taken  under 
guard  to  the  office  of  the  express  company  over  whose  line 
it  is  to  be  shipped,  where  it  is  securely  wrapped  and  sealed, 
then  placed  in  the  treasure  box  and  conveyed  under  guard 
to  the  railroad  station  and  placed  in  the  express  car.  The 
messenger,  armed  with  loaded  shot-oun  and  six-shooter, 
accompanies  the  treasure  until  it  reaches  a  point  of  safety. 
During  the  early  shipments  by  railroads,  messengers  have 
been  known  to  guard  the  bullion  as  far  as  Omaha  on  its 
way  East.  Now,  however,  the  heavy  bullion  [)roduct  of 
the  northern  Hills  is  accompanied  by  the  messenger  only 
as  far  as  Rapid  City. 

Richard  Bullock,  reputed  to  be  one  of  the  nerviest  mes- 
sengers who  ever  guarded  the  orold  bullion  out  of  the  Black 
Hills,  has  been  employed  for  many  years  to  guard  the 
semi-monthly  shipments  of  the  bullion  product  of  the  great 
Homestake  aggrieoration  of  mines,  without  ever  having  lost, 

COO  ^ 

it  is  alleged,  a  single  ounce  of  the  millions  of  treasure 
intrusted  to  his  care.  During  the  time  that  Whitewood 
was  the  terminus  of  the  first  railroad  to  the  Hills,  the  F. 
E.  &  M.  V.  Bullock  guarded  the  bullion  over  the  stage  route 
between  Deadwood  and  Whitewood,  through  a  mountainous 
country  that  was  peculiarly  inviting  to  road  agents,  with- 
out ever  having  encountered  a  single  knisht  of  the  road. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  395 


CHAPTER     XXVIir. 

CUSTER  COUNTY. 

Custer  County  originally  occupied  all  that  portion  of  the 
Black  Hills  of  Dakota,  lying  betsveen  43^  and  43'  50'  north 
latitude,  and  betAveeii  the  103  and  104  meridian  of  longi- 
tude west  of  Greenwich  ;  besides  a  small  triangular  frac- 
tion on  the  northeast,  bordering  the  south  fork  of  the  Big 
Cheyenne  river,  altogether  covering  an  area  of  a  little 
more  than  3,000  square  miles,  or  one-half  of  the  entire 
ceded  territory. 

The  county,  as  first  defined,  may  be  divided  into  two 
nearly  equal  portions;  the  one  comprehending  the  moun- 
tainous and  mineral-bearing  region,  in  which  is  included 
the  greater  part  of  the  Harney  granite  uplift;  the  other  the 
grazing  and  agricultural  lands  outside  of  the  foot-hills,  in 
which  is  included  the  fertile  valleys  of  the  numerous  streams 
draining  that  area  and  a  considerable  extent  of  prairie  land 
on  both  sides  of  the  Cheyenne  river.  The  northern  or 
mountainous  portion  is  covered  by  an  abundant  growth  of 
pine  timber  of  excellent  quality,  and  interspersed  with 
many  charming  parks, — half  wood  and  half  glade;  the 
middle  and  southern  portion  consisting,  for  the  most  part, 
of  high  prairie  table-lands,  becoming  mountainous  toward 
the  south.  The  whole  area  is  drained  by  Spring,  Battle, 
French,  Beaver,  and  Fall  River  creeks. 

At  the  first  session  of  the  newly  appointed  Board  of 
County  Commissioners,  held  in  the  parlors  of  the  Occi- 
dental Hotel  at  Custer,  beginning  on  the  27th  of  April, 
1877,  the  county  was  organized  and  named  Custer,  in  honor 
of  Gen.  Geo.  A.  Custer,  who  commanded  the  first  military 
expedition  to  the  Black  Hills  in  the  summer  of  1874. 

The  meetinss  at  Custer  were  held  on  the  27th  of  April, 


396  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

the  4th,  5th,  7th,  8th,  9th,  10th,  and  11th  of  May,  1877, 
during  which  the  county  was  temporarily  located  at  Hay- 
ward,  by  a  majority  vote  of  the  Board,  and,  by  the  way, 
there  is  a  bit  of  rather  amusinir  history  connected  with  the 
location  of  the  capital  of  Custer  County,  which  furnishes  an 
example  of  a  little  exceedingly  sharp  practice  on  the  part 
of  one  of  the  commissioners,  and  the  story  runs  thus  :  — 

The  appointees  for  Commissioners  of  Custer  County 
were  M.  D.  Thompson  of  Yankton,  Chas.  Hay  ward  of 
Hayward,  and  E.  G.  Ward  of  Custer  City,  the  two  latter 
places  being  rivals  for  county  seat  honors. 

Custer,  not  having  yet  fully  recovered  from  the  effects 
of  its  suddenly  arrested  growth  in  the  spring  of  1876,  had 
at  the  time  but  a  meager  population,  while  on  the  other 
hand,  Hayward  had  developed  into  a  booming,  hustling 
mining  camp,  of  perhaps  300  people. 

At  the  initial  session  of  the  Board,  M.  D.  Thompson,  the 
Yankton  member,  was  chosen  permanent  chairman  of  the 
meetings,  and  when  the  work  of  organization,  the  appoint- 
ment of  subordinate  county  officers  and  other  preliminary 
proceedings  looking  to  the  establishment  of  county  govern- 
ment, was  concluded,  Mr.  Haj'ward  made  a  motion  to  locate 
the  county  seat  at  Hayward,  which  Ward  naturally  re- 
fused to  second,  thus  blocking  procedure  in  that  direction, 
when,  after  a  short  discussion,  the  Board  adjourned  to  meet 
on  the  followinoj  mornin^r. 

In  the  interim  there  was  doubtless  considerable  influence 
brought  to  bear  on  the  neutral  member,  who,  after  weigh- 
ing the  matter,  finally  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  cap- 
ital should  be  where  it  would  accommodate  the  greatest 
number  of  the  people  of  the  county,  so  meeting  Mr.  Hay- 
ward he  told  him  to  renew  his  motion  at  the  meeting  to  be 
held  in  the  morning.  This  Hayward  did,  but,  as  before, 
Ward  failed  to  second  the  motion. 

The  chairman,  who  had  his  bit  of  strategy  all  figured 
out,  after  waiting  a  few  minutes,  pulled  a  cigar  from  his 
pocket,  bit  off  the  end,  fumbled  in  his  vest  pockets  for 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  397 

something  which  he  ostensibly  failed  to  find,  then,  vacating 
the  chair,  approached  Mr.  Ward  and  asked  him  for  a 
match.  While  lighting  his  cigar,  he  requested  Ward  to 
occupy  the  chair,  which  he  did,  when  he  (Thompson) 
seconded  Hayward's  motion,  which,  of  course,  was  carried 
by  a  majority  of  one,  and  thus  Hayward  was  made  the 
temporar}'^  county  seat.  The  first  meeting  of  the  Board  at 
Hayward  was  held  on  May  16th,  1877. 

In  canvassing  the  returns  of  the  election  held  in  Novem- 
ber, 1877,  to  elect  county  officers  and  permanently  locate 
the  capital,  there  were  found,  it  is  claimed,  many  fraudu- 
lent votes.  Custer,  however,  claimed  the  election,  which 
Hayward  refused  to  concede,  and,  as  a  sequence,  the  con- 
test waxed  warm.  Tradition  says  that,  to  summarily  settle 
the  matter,  a  party  of  men  went  to  Hayward,  took  forcible 
possession  of  the  county  archives,  and  carried  them  ta 
Custer ;  and  further  says,  that  the  party  was  promptly 
arrested  and  compelled  to  return  the  county  property  to 
Hayward.  Not  until  1879  was  the  contest  adjusted,  and 
the  capital  permanently  located  at  Custer  City,  the  last 
meeting  of  the  Commissioners  at  Hayward  being  held  on 
October  7th,  1879,  and  the  first  at  Custer  three  days  later, 
on  October  10th,  1879. 

The  first  county  officers  of  Custer  County  were  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

County  Commissioners  :  M.  D.  Thompson,  Chas.  Hay- 
ward, and  E.  G.  Ward. 

Probate  Judge  :  J.  W.  C.  White. 

Register  of  Deeds  and  ex  officio  County  Clerk:  Fred.  J. 
Cross. 

Sheriff:  D.  N.  Ely. 

Treasurer:  Frank  B.  Smith. 

Constables:    M.  H.  Brown,  C.  A.  Scott. 

Justices  of  Peace:  Theodore  Vos.  Brough,  S.  R.  Shank- 
laud,  C.  L.  Spooner. 

Surveyor:   Robt.  Harvey. 

Assessor:  A.  B.  Hughes. 


398  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

On  November  12tb,  1881,  the  boundary  line  between 
Caster  and  Pennington  counties  was  definitely  fixed,  when 
Huyward  was  found  to  be  within  the  lines  of  Pennington 
County,  some  two  or  three  miles. 

Until  1881  courts  were  held  in  ordinary  buildings.  In 
that  year  a  fine  two-story  brick  structure  was  erected  at  a  cost 
to  the  county  of  $12,000,  for  the  payment  of  which  county 
bonds  were  issued.  Up  to  this  time  considerable  expend- 
itures had  been  made  by  the  county  in  improving  roads 
and  building  bridges  across  the  principal  streams,  showing 
a  commendable  spirit  of  public  enterprise  on  the  part  of 
its  2,000  population. 

In  1882  the  assessed  valuation  of  Custer  County  was 
$363,329;  the  tax  levy  thirty  mills,  and  the  total  in- 
debtedness $29,407.29,  at  which  time  county  bonds  were 
worth  97  cents  on  the  dollar.  In  1883  the  county  was  sub- 
divided on  the  boundary  line  between  townships  Nos,  6  and 
7  south,  and  the  southern  subdivision  organized  into  Fall 
River  County,  thus  catting  off  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  grazing  lands  from  the  old  county,  but  leaving  for  the 
most  part  the  mineral  bearing  and  the  most  heavily  tim- 
bered areas  to  Caster  County.  This  subdivision  was  made 
in  obedience  to  the  popular  verdict  of  the  portion  to  be 
segregated. 

The  county  has  now  (1898)  an  assessed  valuation  of 
$784,504.00  ;  a  total  indebtedness  of  $174,188.86,  and  con- 
tained a  population  of  4,740  in  1896. 

THE  MINES    OF    CUSTER    COUNTY. 

From  the  easily  exhausted  placer  deposits  of  French 
creek  and  tributary  gulches,  the  attention  of  prospectors 
was,  about  1879,  first  directed  to  the  discovery  and  devel- 
meni  of  the  other  varied  resources  of  that  region  of  the 
Hills,  which  resulted  in  exposing  numerous  promising  mines 
of  gold,  mica,  tin,  and  other  minerals,  but  owing  to  the 
absence  of  facilities  for  dealing  with  the  product,  much  of 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  399 

the  needed  stimulus  to  a  vigorous  development  of  mining 
properties  by  their  owners  was  lacking  during  the  first 
years  of  Custer  County  miuing  history.  With  the  advent 
of  the  railroad  in  1890,  however,  a  new  impetus  was  given 
to  mining  activity  in  that  region. 

Among  the  early  discoveries  in  gold-bearing  quartz  were 
the  "  Grand  Junction,"  "Penobscot,"  "  Salmon."  "  At- 
lantic," "Old  Bill,"  "Old  Charley,"  "Lightning," 
"  Mayflower,"  and  "  North  Pole." 

The  Grand  Junction  was  located  in  April,  1879,  by  Chas. 
Crary,  F.  A.  Towner,  James  Friend,  and  Joseph  Summers. 
This  mine  is  situated  about  seven  and  one-half  miles  north- 
west of  Custer  City,  near  the  boundary  line  of  Custer  and 
Pennington  counties.  In  1880  a  company  erected  a  twenty- 
stamp  mill  on  the  property.  In  1881  a  new  company  was 
organized  called  the  Grand  Junction  Company,  which  car- 
ried on  operations  for  nearly  a  year,  when,  in  July,  1882, 
a  company  of  St.  Louis  capitalists  under  the  name  of  the 
Constant  Mining  Company,  purchased  the  property  and 
erected  a  forty-stamp  mill.  This  mill  was  operated  on  the 
mine  until  the  winter  of  1885,  when  it  closed  down,  since 
which  time  the  batteries  have  been  idle. 

The  Grand  Junction  is  a  large  vertical  vein  of  quartz, 
full  sixty  feet  in  width,  with  hornblende  on  the  east  and  a 
slate  wall  on  the  west  side.  The  ore  near  the  surface  was 
partly  free  milling,  but  as  depth  was  attained  it  was  found 
to  be  in  conformation  with  base  metals,  and  therefore  the 
gold  could  not  be  recovered  by  amalgamation  —  hence  the 
suspension. 

Unfortunately  for  that  region  of  the  Hills,  this  failure 
to  extract  the  gold  from  refractory  ore  by  the  free  milling 
process  did  not  serve  as  a  salutary  warning  to  future  mine 
owners  and  operators,  for,  despite  this  object-lesson  they 
continued  to  discover  mines  which  yielded  rich  returns  by 
chemical  analysis,  upon  which  they  persisted  in  erecting 
stamp  mills,  until  nine  were  erected  in  Custer  County, 
upon  the  best  mines  in  the  district,  —  some  of  which  still 


400  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

stand  as  mouuraents  to  the  deplorable  shoit-sighledness  of 
the  early  mine  operators. 

The  Penobscot  mine  is  situated  about  seven  miles  north- 
west from  Custer,  and  was  located  by  A.  Wilcox,  W.  C, 
Gooch  and  Joel  Mead  in  1879.  The  owners  did  a  small 
amount  of  work  on  the  mine,  and  sold  a  half  interest  to 
Jas.  Brodieof  Lead  City,  who  was  formerly  connected  with 
the  Old  Abe,  now  the  property  of  the  Homestake  Co.  In 
1880  the  firm  erected  a  mill  on  the  property  and  equipped 
it  with  antiquated  machinery,  which  was  first  used  in  a 
mill  in  Colorado,  away  back  in  1860.  In  1877,  having  out- 
lived its  usefulness,  it  was  sold  to  Messrs.  Potter  &  Powers, 
who  transported  it  to  the  Black  Hills,  and  put  it  in  opera- 
tion on  one  of  the  early  mines  at  Central.  Provingaltogether 
unsatisfactory  for  milling  purposes,  the  machinery  was 
sold  in  1880  to  Gooch,  Brodie  &  Co.,  who  took  it  down  to 
Custer  County,  and  put  it  up  at  the  Penobscot  mine.  The 
firm  tried  hard  to  pound  a  little  gold  out  of  the  Penobscot 
ore  with  the  condemned  batteries,  but  becoming  disgusted 
with  the  results  they  sold  the  property  to  Messrs.  Fortune^ 
Wilson  &  Bull,  in  1881,  the  latter  selling  his  interest  to 
Dr.  Broughton  of  Broadhead,  Wisconsin.  This  company 
ran  the  mill  for  a  short  time,  when  the  worthless  machinery 
was  taken  down  and  moved  away.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
the  ore  refused  to  yield  to  such  treatment?  It  will  be 
recalled  by  those  whose  memories  go  back  twenty-one 
years,  that  other  obsolete  machinery  was  brought  up  from 
Colorado  to  the  Black  Hills,  and  put  in  operation  on  some 
of  the  early  mines  around  Central,  jeopardizing  the  repu- 
tation of  the  mines,  and  leaving  their  owners  on  the  verge 
of  bankruptcy.  The  Penobscot  is  a  large  vein  of  quartz, 
which  assays  $10.00  in  gold  per  ton.  A  large  amount  of 
excavation  has  been  done  near  the  surface,  but  no  great 
depth  has  been  attained.  The  property  is  now  in  the 
hands  of  Edwin  Van  Cise  of  Dead  wood. 

The  Salmon  mine,  situated  about  two  miles  north  of 
Custer,  was  located  by  Messrs.  Peterson  and  Woodward  in 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     401 

1880.  This  mine  attained  early  celebrity,  for  the  extraor- 
dinary richness  of  the  ore  at  the  surface,  and  the  many  free 
gold  specimens  it  produced.  No  mill  was  ever  erected  on 
the  property,  which  is  owned  by  the  Gold  Fish  Mining  Co., 
and  is  now  in  charge  of  Joseph  Pilcher,  of  Caster. 

The  Atlantic  mine  was  located  in  1879  by  Henry  Frank- 
lin. This  mine,  too,  was  justly  famous  for  its  free  gold 
specimens,  which  were  claimed  to  be  the  richest  ever  found 
in  the  Black  Hills.  The  mine  is  now  owned  by  John 
Wright,  of  Custer,  and  Jack  McAIeer,  of  Dead  wood.  No 
mill  has  been  erected  on  the  property. 

The  Old  Bill  mine,  situated  about  four  and  one-half  miles 
northerly  from  Custer,  was  located  in  May,  1879,  by  Rich- 
ard Holiday,  Ralph  Kenyon,  and  H.  N.  Ross,  the  latter 
having  charge  of  the  mine.  The  Old  Bill  is  a  large,  tine 
vein  of  quartz,  assaying  twelve  dollars  in  gold  per  ton. 
While  there  is  no  mill  on  the  ground,  the  ore  has  been 
milled  with  good  profit.  The  mine  has  a  shaft  sixty  feet 
deep. 

The  Old  Charlie  mine  was  located  in  July,  1879,  by  Chas. 
Holmes  and  A.  Sampson.  This  property,  which  consists  of 
three  claims,  is  situated  about  four  miles  west  of  Custer. 
There  are  numerous  openings  on  the  property,  the  main 
working  shaft  which  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
deep,  is  a  double  compartment  incline,  five  and  a  half  by 
nine  feet  in  ore  from  the  surface  downwards.  A  twenty- 
stamp  mill,  and  steam  hoist  are  erected  on  the  property, 
and  a  great  deal  of  ore  has  been  milled,  with  excellent 
results ;  the  ore  yielding  from  five  dollars  to  twenty-one 
dollars  in  gold  per  ton.  The  property  is  owned  by  W.  N. 
Olds  and  his  associates,  of  New  York,  and  is  under  the 
supervision  of  W.  N.  Olds,  of  Custer.  When  operated  on 
the  extensive  scale  contemplated  by  the  management,  the 
property  will  doubtless  add  largely  to  the  gold  production 
of  the  Hills. 

The  Lightning  mine  is  another  of  the  famous  mines  of  the 
early  days.     This  mine,  which  was  located  in  July,  1879,  by 

26 


402  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Frank  Weatherby  and  J.  Juderine,  is  a  fine  vein  of  quartz  — 
true  fissure  in  character,  and  seven  feet  in  width  at  the 
one  hundred  foot  level.  Since  its  first  discovery  the  prop- 
erty has  changed  hands  several  times,  but  is  now  owned, 
for  the  most  part,  by  Leopold  Dole,  of  Omaha,  and  Henrj' 
Schenek,  of  Custer.  The  mine  has  changed  its  original 
name,  and  is  now  known  as  the  North  Star  mine.  The 
owners  of  the  property  —  which  is  now  being  rapidly  de- 
veloped—  design  the  erection  of  complete  reduction  works 
in  the  early  spring.     The  ore  is  reputed  to  be  very  rich. 

The  May  Flower  mine,  situated  about  four  miles  west  from 
Custer  City,  on  a  small  tributary  of  French  creek,  was  first 
located  in  1879,  by  James  McShearer  and  John  P.  Forau, 
of  Custer.  This  mine,  which  has  been  quite  extensively 
developed,  has  a  large  vein  of  medium  grade,  and  a  three- 
foot  vein  of  high-grade  ore.  In  1884  a  ten-stamp  mill  was 
erected  on  the  property,  which,  after  making  a  short  run, 
closed  down,  owing  to  the  impossibility  of  saving  the  gold 
by  amalgamation.  The  assay,  by  Telluride  test,  runs  from 
$12.00  to  $15.00  in  gold  per  ton  of  ore.  The  present 
owners  are  J.  P.  Foran,  John  Durst,  and  Harry  Paland. 
Among  the  most  promising  of  the  recent  discoveries  in 
Custer  County  are  the  "  Spokane,"  "  Lizzie,"  "  Bonanza," 
"  Granite  Reef"  and  "  Union  Hill  "  mines.  The  Spokane 
mine,  located  by  Sylvester  Judd  in  1891,  is  situated  about 
sixteen  miles  east  of  Custer  City  and  twelve  miles  from 
Hermosa,  on  the  F.  E.  &  M.  V.  Railway.  This  mine  has 
a  shaft  100  feet  in  depth,  and  a  number  of  connecting 
drifts.  The  vein  proper,  which  is  about  fourteen  feet  in 
width,  is  of  medium-grade  ore,  except  four  feet  of  the 
center  or  core,  which  runs  quite  uniformly  twenty  ounces  in 
silver  and  from  35  to  40  per  cent  in  lead  to  the  ton.  The 
property  now  belongs  to  the  Crown  Hill  Mining  Co.,  which 
in  addition  to  this  property,  is  operating  extensively  in  the 
northern  Hills. 

The  Lizzie  mine,  located  in  1897  by  Frank  and  Ford 
McLaughlin,    of    Custer,  constitutes    one    of    the    claims 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     403 

which  comprise  a  large  group,  now  owned  by  an  incor- 
porated stock  company,  the  greater  part  of  the  stock  being 
held  by  citizens  of  Le  Mars,  Iowa.  The  development  con- 
sists of  a  ninety-five-foot  tunnel,  and  100-foot  shaft,  at 
the  bottom  of  which  the  mine  shows  a  vein  of  nine  feet, 
incased  in  walls  of  quartzite.  The  ore  runs  from  $6.00 
to  $40.00  in  gold,  and  two  per  cent  copper  to  the  ton. 
The  company  are  preparing  to  ship  the  product  to  a 
smelter  for  treatment. 

The  Bonanza  mine,  situated  on  Mineral  Ridge,  three  and 
a  half  miles  west  of  Custer,  has  four  shafts,  the  deepest  of 
which  is  sixty-five  feet.  This  group  of  claims  is  owned  by 
H.  G.  Butterfield  &  Bro.  of  Custer. 

The  Granite  Reef  mine,  situated  two  miles  southeast 
from  Custer,  has  a  fifty-foot  shaft,  and  a  tunnel  300  feet 
in  length.  The  ore  of  this  mine  carries  two  per  cent  of 
copper,  and  from  $12.00  to  $46.00  in- gold  to  the  ton,  the 
vein  being  nine  feet  in  width.  The  property  is  owned  by 
James  Deraereau,  C.  W.  Robbins,  and  A.  T.  Feay,  of 
Custer  City. 

The  Union  Hill  mine,  situated  about  three  miles  west 
from  Custer,  has  a  shaft  forty-five  feet  in  depth  and  a  tun- 
nel 300  feet  in  length.  The  vein  is  eight  feet  in  width,  and 
assays  well  in  gold.  The  property  is  owned  by  Henry  A. 
Albion  of  Custer  City. 

There  are  numerous  other  gold  mines  of  bright  promise 
in  Custer  County,  which  with  the  application  of  proper 
treatment,  will,  doubtless,  yield  handsome  profits  to  their 
owners.  The  gold  in  these  veins  is  readily  obtained  by  the 
chlorination  or  cyanide  process,  but  the  ore  is  only  to  a 
limited  extent  adapted  to  the  free  milling  methods.  It 
only  lacks  an  abundance  of  capital  to  transform  that  region 
into  one  of  the  most  productive  districts  in  the  Black  Hills. 

THE    MICA    MINES    OF    CUSTER    COUNTY. 

For  several  years  after  the  beginning  of  the  last  decade, 
the  Mica  mining  industry  constituted  an  important  factor 


404  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

in  the  business  economy  of  Custer  County,  to  which  region 
of  the  Hills  that  mineral  is  principally  confined.  In  fact 
it  is  only  in  the  lofty  granite  mountains  of  the  Harney 
range,  surrounding  Custer  City,  that  mica  in  merchant- 
able form  has  been  found.  Strangely  enough,  although 
the  whole  granite  region  glittered  brightly  with  mica,  but 
little  attention  was  given  to  it  as  a  commercial  commodity 
until  about  1880,  when  the  attention  of  miners  was  attracted 
to  the  mineral  as  a  possible  factor  of  industrial  enterprise, 
by  encountering  large  blocks,  easily  separable  into  sheets, 
in  the  development  of  goldmines. 

.  The  first  workable  mica  mine,  it  is  claimed,  was  located 
as  a  gold  mine  in  1879,  by  Geo.  Clark,  about  three  and  one- 
half  miles  northwest  of  Custer,  Since  its  first  discovery 
the  mine  has  doubtless  changed  hands  a  few  times,  and  has 
been  known  under  various  appellations,  but  is  now  known 
as  the  McMaken  mine.  It  was  at  one  time  owned  by  Messrs. 
Offenbacher  &  Haight,  who  took  from  the  mine  from 
$75,000.00  to  $100,000.00  worth  of  fine  merchantable  mica. 
Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  as  well  as  the  most  pro- 
ductive deposit  of  mica  discovered  is  a  mine  known  as  the 
Lost  Bonanza,  situated  about  two  miles  north  of  Custer, 
on  the  abrupt  slope  of  Buckhorn  Mountain,  and  located 
by  L.  C.  La  Barre,  in  1880.  Soon  after  its  location,  sold 
to  the  New  Mexico  &  Dakota  Mica  Mining  Company,  com- 
posed of  Chicago  capitalists,  which  from  July,  1881,  to 
March,  1882,  took  from  the  mine  24,000  pounds  of  splen- 
did mica.  This  may  seem  a  small  amount  to  produce  in  a 
period  of  eight  months,  but  let  it  be  remembered  that  a 
vast  deal  of  heavy  granite  rock  has  to  be  removed  to  reach 
the  mica,  and  when  found  only  about  seven  per  cent  of  the 
whole  is  merchantable.  The  market  price  of  the  product 
varied  according  to  quality  and  demand,  ranging  from 
$2.00  to  $12.00  per  pound.  It  was  hinted  about  that  time, 
it  is  recalled,  that  this  corporation  so  controlled  and 
manipulated  the  mica  market,  as  to  render  its  production 
wholly  unprofitable  to  small  operators. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  405 

A  few  of  the  mauy  other  mica  locations  are  the  "  Cli- 
max," "  Now  York,"  "  White  Spar,"  "  Window  Light," 
"Eureka,"  "Grand  View,"  "Old  Mike,"  and  "Last 
Find,"  all  of  which  were  more  or  less  developed  into 
very  promising  properties.  The  Eureka,  six  miles  north- 
east of  Custer,  near  Harney's  Peak,  attained  especial 
celebrity  for  the  Inrge  sheets  of  mica  it  produced,  some  of 
which  measured  eight  by  ten  square  inches,  without  a  Haw 
or  defect. 

None  of  these  mines  are  now  being  operated,  and  the 
reason  assigned  by  those  in  a  position  to  know  is  that  the 
market  is  controlled  by  a  trust  in  such  a  way  as  to  bar  out 
all  mica  that  does  not  pass  directly  through  its  hands,  thus 
rendering  the  production  of  the  mineral  unprofitable. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  mining  of  tin,  which,  according 
to  the  expressed  opinion  of  tin  experts,  exists  in  paying 
quantities  in  the  granite  hills  of  Custer  County,  but  which 
is  at  present  impossible  to  get  upon  the  market.  It  is 
confidently  expected  by  mine  owners  that  changed  con- 
ditions and  a  growing  demand  will  revive  both  of  these 
industries  at  no  distant  day. 

CUSTER    CITY. 

Custer  City,  the  primary  metropolis  of  the  Black 
Hills  —  much  of  whose  early  history  has  been  hereinbe- 
fore recorded,  —  is  finely  situated,  at  an  elevation  of  5,5(50 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  on  the  upper  valley  of 
French  creek,  near  the  center,  east  and  west  of  what  has 
been  designated  Custer's  Park,  than  which  no  spot  more 
alluring  and  grandly  picturesque  is  to  be  found  in  the  whole 
magnificent  Black  Hills  domain. 

From  the  margin  of  the  park,  wherein  lies  the  pioneer 
city,  rise  bold,  lofty  mountains,  projecting  their  jagged, 
naked  crests  far  above  the  stately  pines  that  clothe  their 
rugged  slopes.  On  the  north  Buckhorn  Peak,  covered 
from  base  to  summit  with  evergreen  foliage,  rises  up  1,000 
feet  above  the  level   of  the  city,  and  sweeps  around  its 


406  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

southern  spur  to  within  two  miles  of  its  outer  limits, 
describing  in  its  curve  that  peculiar  outline  to  which  the 
name  owes  its  origin.  On  the  eastern  margin  about  two 
miles  away,  Calamity  Peak  extends  its  bare  castellated 
crest  1,200  feet  above  the  level  of  the  valley,  and  away  ten 
miles  to  the  northeast  Harney's  Peak  towers  in  rocky 
grandeur  above  all.  On  the  south,  near  the  city,  the  hills 
rise  to  an  elevation  of  perhaps  200  feet,  then  gradually  fall 
away,  disclosing  a  fascinating  view  of  Prospect  Park,  while 
to  the  east  and  west  widens  out  the  beautiful  valley  of 
French  creek. 

This  valley  was  appropriately  designated  "Floral  Valley" 
by  Gen.  Custer,  when  exploring  the  Hills  in  1874,  because 
of  the  wonderful  variety  and  beauty  of  its  flora.  It  is  said 
that  in  the  blossoming  season,  or  during  the  months  of 
June  and  July,  as  many  as  IGO  varieties  of  wild  flowers 
may  be  found  in  bloom. 

The  region  about  Custer  possesses  an  ideal  climate  full 
of  health-giving  and  iiealth-preserving  properties  —  a 
climate  where  epidemics  are  an  almost  unknown  quantity. 
The  pure,  invigorating  air  circulating  through  the  valley, 
laden  with  the  grateful  aroma  of  the  pines,  infuses  new  life 
with  every  expansion  of  the  lungs,  causing  the  weak  to 
become  strong,  and  under  its  balmy  influence  the  wretched 
victim  of  insomnia  is  wooed  to  gentle,  refreshing  slumber. 
All  one  has  to  do  is  to  comfortably  adjust  his  tired  anatomy 
and  nature  speedily  does  the  rest. 

Snow  rarely  falls  to  a  depth  of  more  than  six  inches,  nor 
remains  more  than  a  few  days  at  a  time  in  Custer's  Park, 
which  abounds  in  pure,  cold,  crystal  springs  —  leaving  noth- 
ing to  be  desired  by  the  tourist  in  search  of  health  or 
pleasure. 

SYLVAN    LAKE. 

Resting  peacefully  in  among  the  rugged  cliffs  of  the 
Harney  range,  about  six  miles  in  a  northerly  direction  from 
Custer,   may    be    found    the    crowning  attraction  of  that 


407 


region, 

ever." 

This 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS. 

-  Sylvan  Lake,"  "  a  thing  of  beauty  and  a  joy  for. 
.u-tistic  conception  was  formed  in  1882  by  the  con 


struction  of  a  massive  stone  dam,  near  the  head  of  Sunday 
tX  to  bar  the  waters  of  the  streams  that  tr.ckle  down 
fhe  mountain  slopes  into  the  basin,  thus  formmg  an  ait.fi- 
cial  lake  of  about  fixteen  acres  in  extent. 


408  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

From  Custer  this  popular  resort  is  reached  over  a  finely 
constructed  driveway,  that  winds  its  sinuous  way  through  a 
region  of  grandeur,  beauty,  and  picturesqueness  not  sur- 
passed elsewhere  in  this  "  Switzerland  of  America,"  and 
after  circling  around  a  labyrinth  of  hills,  near  the  limits  of 
the  lake,  it  brings  its  visitor  suddenly  in  full  view,  at  its 
upper  side,  of  an  exhibition  of  nature's  and  art's  handi- 
work combined,  that  would  not  willingly  be  forgotten. 
On  three  sides  the  towering  cliffs  inclose  the  miniature  lake 
in  their  close,  rugged  embrace,  while  at  the  lower  margin, 
the  surplus  waters  dash  over  the  artificial  barrier,  and  go 
dancing  and  chattering  gaily  down  the  rocky  incline.  The 
surface  of  the  lagoon  is  dotted  here  and  there  with  white- 
winged  boats,  whose  small  keels  are  plowing  little  rippling 
furrows  across  its  bosom,  or,  perchance,  are  rocking  on  the 
tiny  waves  at  their  moorings.  Copious  as  is  the  English 
tongue,  it  is  inadequate  to  paint  the  scene  in  all  its  lights 
and  shades,  and  it  is  only  through  the  eye  that  one  can 
form  a  true  conception  of  the  enchanting  picture. 

In  a  little  recession,  at  the  base  of  the  water-laved  crags, 
inclosing  the  lower  end  of  the  lake,  at  the  rijjht  of  the 
dam,  a  commodious  veranda-encircled  hostelry  has  been 
constructed,  and  provided  with  all  modern  conveniences 
for  the  entertainment  of  guests  who  are  there  supplied  with 
a  cuisine  that  would  challenge  the  criticism  of  the  most 
fastidious  epicure.  It  is  from  the  veranda  of  this  hotel 
that  the  best  view  of  the  lagoon  and  its  environments  can 
be  obtained. 

CUSTER   IN    1877. 

Custer,  on  entering  its  third  year  of  history,  found 
itself,  prostrate,  but  purified,  in  the  midst  of  its  grand 
surroundings.  Of  the  thousands  of  eager,  reckless  for- 
tune-hunters,  who  had  departed  during  the  previous 
year,  in  pursuit  of  the  "  elusive  phantom,"  but  few 
had  returned,  as  the  hundreds  of  tenantless  buildings  gave 
pathetic  testimony,  buildings  which  were  afterward  from 
time  to  time  torn  down  and  converted  into  fuel. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  409 

For  the  few  subsequent  years  the  population  of  Custer 
fluctuated,  varying  from  fifty  or  sixty  to  400.  On  the  re- 
turn of  Gen.  Crook  from  his  summer  campaign  against  the 
Indians  in  the  fall  of  1876,  his  command  camped  at  Custer 
for  a  time,  which  brought  back  a  few  of  the  stampeders 
from  Deadwood,  and  also  attracted  to  that  point  a  con- 
siderable number  of  new-comers  to  the  Hills,  increasing 
the  population  to  about  400,  which,  owing  to  new  excite- 
ments in  other  portions  of  the  Hills,  again  diminished, 
until,  on  September  5th,  1878,  there  were,  it  is  said,  by 
actual  census,  only  thirty-seven  men,  eleven  women,  and 
as  many  children,  fifty-seven  persons  all  told,  in  the  pio- 
neer city  of  the  Black  Hills.  From  that  time  it  again 
began  to  slowly  expand  until  in  1881  it  contained  a  perma- 
nent population  of  400,  from  which  date  the  stability  of 
Custer  became  an  assured  fact. 

Among  those  who  pinned  their  faith  to  Custer  for  the 
most  time  during  its  early  years  of  vicissitudes  and  dis- 
couraging fluctuations  were,  first :  Thos.  Hooper,  D.  W. 
Flick^  Sam'l  K.  Shankland,  D.  K.  Snively  in  1875,  then 
H.  A.  Albion,  E.  G.  Peirce,  T.  H.  Harvey,  W.  H.  Har- 
low, Ernest  Schleunning,  Sam'l  Booth,  Frank  B.  Smith,  A. 
B.  Hughes,  A.  Yerkes,  J.  C.  Saunders,  Capt.  Haserodt, 
and  others  all  of  whom  may  be  accounted  among  the  first 
permanent  settlers  of  Custer  (let  it  be  remembered  that 
there  was  little  permanency  in  Custer  before  1877)  —  and 
the  determination  and  early  efforts  of  these  men  were 
largely   instrumental  in  giving  Custer  its  prestige  of  to-day. 

The  first  postmaster  of  the  U.  S.  Postal  Service  in  Cus- 
ter was  Thos.  H.  Harvey;  the  second,  J.  S.  Bartholomew  ; 
the  third  on  the  list  was  Frank  B.  Smith;  the  fourth,  S.  R. 
Shankland,  followed  by  H.  A.  Albion. 

The  first  school  in  Custer,  as  well  as  in  the  Black  Hills, 
was  taught  during  the  summer  of  1876  by  Miss  Carrie 
Scott,  who  is  a  daughter  of  C.  A.  Scott,  of  Spearfish.  And, 
by  the  way,  Mr.  Scott  made  the  first  coffin  ever  constructed 
in  the  Black  Hills,  at  Custer. 


410  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

The  second  school  taught  in  Custer  was  a  tuition  school 
opened  and  taught  by  Jas.  E.  Carpenter  during  the  winter 
of  1876-7.  Mr.  Carpenter  was  a  partner  of  Chas.  Hayward 
in  founding  the  town  of  Hayward  on  Battle  creek,  and  is 
now  a  practicing  attorney  in  Woonsocket,  South  Dakota, 
where  he  has  resided  for  the  past  seventeen  years. 

The  town  was  incorporated  and  a  patent  was  issued  by  the 
government  for  the  square  mile  occupied  by  the  city  in 
1882. 

In  1884  Custer  City  erected  its  first  public  school  build- 
ing, a  fine,  two-storied  brick  structure,  separated  into  four 
rooms,  or  school  departments. 

The  number  of  pupils  enrolled  for  the  year  1897-8  was 
174,  and  inasmuch  as  the  number  of  children  of  school  age 
in  the  city  numbered  265,  it  seems  evident  that  increased 
school  accommodations  will  have  to  be  provided  in  the  near 
future. 

Custer's  public  buildings  consist  of  a  handsome  brick 
courthouse  and  jail,  a  fine  brick  public  school  building,  and 
four  churches  —  the  Methodist,  Congregational,  Baptist, 
and  Catholic. 

Since  the  completion  of  the  Burlington  &  Missouri  Rail- 
way to  Custer,  in  1890,  the  city  has  developed  rapidly  in 
commercial  importance,  and  its  wide  streets,  its  well-filled 
squares  of  brick  and  frame  business  structures  and  numer- 
ous cosy  homes  gives  ample  evidence  of  thrift  and  increas- 
ing prosperity. 

In  addition  to  its  complement  of  business  houses,  Custer 
can  boast  of  two  flourishing  banks  —  one  National  and  one 
State — two  good  hotels,  a  factory  for  the  manufacture  of 
a  mica  lubrication  from  native  product,  two  steam  planing 
mills,  and  other  small  industries  incident  to  towns  of  its 
class. 

What  is  now  the  First  National  Bank  of  Custer  was  first 
established  as  a  private  bank  in  1881  by  D.  Corrigan,  who 
owned  and  managed  the  same  until  1890,  when  the  institu- 
tion was  converted    into  a    national  bank,  with  a  capital 


JOSEPH    KU15LER, 

Who  ran  through  the  press  the  first  cop}'  of  the  Black  Hills  Pioneer 
on  June  8th,  1876, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE   DAKOTAHS.  411 

stock  of  $50,000.  The  first  officers  of  the  incorporated  in- 
stitution were  as  follows:  D.  Corrigan,  President;  F.  A. 
Towner,  Vice-President ;  and  W.  F.  Hanley,  Cashier. 
Both  capital  and  officers  have  remained  unchanged. 

The  Custer  County  Bank  was  organized  and  opened  on 
April  17th,  1890,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $25,000,  with  the 
following  officers  :  S.  H.  Mills,  New  York,  President  ;  Jos. 
E.  Pilcher,  of  Custer  City,  Vice-President;  Frank  R. 
Davis,  of  Rapid  City,  Cashier;  T.  W.  Delicate,  of  Custer 
City,  Assistant  Cashier. 

Subsequently  Frank  R.  Davis  died,  when  T.  W.  Delicate 
was  promoted  to  the  cashiership,  and  D.  W.  Webster  suc- 
ceeded Joseph  E.  Pilcher  as  vice-president,  so  that  the 
present  officers  of  the  institution  are :  Stephen  H.  Mills, 
of  New  York  City,  President ;  Daniel  W.  Webster,  of 
Custer  City,  Vice-President ;  Thomas  W.  Delicate,  of  Cus- 
ter City,  Cashier. 

The  press  is  now  represented  b}'  the  Custer  Chronicle, 
a  wide-awake  sheet,  fully  abreast  of  the  enterprising  com- 
munity it  represents.  The  paper  was  established  in  Decem- 
ber, 1879  (the  first  number  appearing  on  the  third  of  that 
month),  by  A.  W.  Merrick,  of  Deadwood  —  the  pioneer 
newspaper  man  of  the  Black  Hills.  At  the  end  of  a  few 
months  Mr.  Merrick  sold  the  paper  to  Messrs.  Clark  & 
Kubler,  and  it  is  now  conducted  by  the  latter  member  of 
the  firm,  Joseph  Kubler.  Mr.  Kubler  is  entitled  to  the 
distinction  of  having  run  through  the  press  the  first  copy 
of  the  Black  Hills  Pioneer,  issued  in  Deadwood  in  June, 
1876. 

Custer,  is  supplied  with  a  splendid  water  service,  is  well 
lighted  by  electricity,  and  has  a  present  population  of  from 
800  to  1,000  people. 

For  several  years  subsequent  to  the  advent  of  the  rail- 
road, Custer  was  the  largest  lumber  shipping  station  in  the 
Black  Hills  —  shipping  more,  it  is  claimed,  than  all  other 
Black  Hills  towns  combined.  In  1895  there  were  in  that 
region   twenty  steam  sawmills  in  active  operation,  employ- 


412  THK    BLACK   HILLS;    OR, 

ins:  an  asfgresrate  of  250  men.  There  were  also  two  steam 
planing  mills  in  constant  operation  then  as  now.  Though 
the  stringent  restrictions  wisely  imposed  upon  the  cut- 
tinff  of  timber  from  oroveriiment  lands  has  inflicted  a 
severe  blow  to  that  important  industry  in  the  pioneer  city, 
the  ever-increasing  value  of  the  mining  interest,  and  stock- 
raising  industry  in  the  region  about,  will  buoy  it  on  to  the 
substantial  success  it  so  richly  deserves. 

During  the  years  1877-8-9,  as  before  stated,  the  settle- 
ments of  the  Hills  were  constantly  beset  by  an  organized 
gang  of  laborers,  whose  sole  occupation  was  to  round  up 
all  horses  found  at  the  end  of  lariat  ropes  or  running 
loose,  and  they  plied  their  avocation  with  a  zeal  and  per- 
sistency highly  creditable  to  their  calling,  and  they  were 
not  in  the  least  particular  as  to  their  color,  pedigree,  or 
ownership. 

Custer's  citizens  did  not  wholly  escape  their  vigilance, 
as  the  subjoined  story  will  illustrate:  — 

It  was  one  evening  during  the  month  of  April,  that  Wm. 
H.  Harlowe,  now  a  resident  of  Spearfish,  mounted  his 
horse,  and  just  as  the  shadows  began  to  fall,  rode  away 
from  Custer  City  in  the  direction  of  Dead  wood  carrying  on 
his  person  a  considerable  quantity  of  French  creek  gold- 
dust  for  shipment  at  the  latter  place,  —  there  being  no  safe 
way  to  ship  from  Custer  City  at  the  time.  The  gold,  it 
may  be  proper  to  state,  belonged  partly  to  himself  and 
partly  to  Samuel  Booth  of  Custer  City.  After  riding 
seventeen  miles,  mostly  under  cover  of  darkness,  he 
reached  what  is  known  as  Gillette's  ranch,  where  he 
picketed  his  horse  and  put  up  for  the  night,  under  the 
hospitable  roof  of  Mr.  Gillette.  In  the  morning,  to  his 
extreme  chagrin,  he  found  his  horse  missing  —  lariat  and 
all.  He  borrowed  a  horse  of  the  proprietor  of  the  ranch, 
and  after  giving  an  order  to  be  sent  to  Custer  for  another 
horse,  to  be  used  on  his  return,  he  resumed  his  journey  with 
his  valuable  treasure,  on  the  keen  lookout  for  ambushed 
highwaymen  along  the  way. 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     413 

On   his  return   from  Dcadwood,  Mr.  Harlow  found  that 
the  horse    brouo-ht  from    Custer  during    his    absence   had 


also  been  spirited  away  the  night  before  his  arrival.     He 
sent  word   to  Custer  to   have  a  posse  put  at  once  on  the 


414  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

trail  of  the  tbief  or  thieves,  and  the  men  after  follow- 
ing up  a  clue  for  two  days  finally  traced  the  guilty  party 
to  the  vicinity  of  Custer  at  ten  o'clock  p.  ra.,  when  senti- 
nels were  immediately  posted  on  all  the  roads  leading  from 
the  city. 

Mr.  Harlow  and  John  Halley,  a  brother  of  James  Halley 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rapid  City  (everybody  in 
the  Hills  knows  James  Halley,  if  they  don't  they  ought 
to),  —  well,  Harlow  and  Halley,  the  former  armed  with  a 
Springfield  rifle  and  the  latter  with  a  shot-gun,  rode  out  on 
the  Cheyenne  road,  in  the  midst  of  a  terrific  thunderstorm, 
to  look  for  their  man.  The  very  blackness  of  darkness 
prevailed,  save  when  the  lurid  glare  of  the  lightning's  play 
illuminated  their  surroundings.  They  had  not  gone  more 
than  a  half-mile  when  thev  discerned  throuoh  the  gloom  an 
approaching  horseman,  who  was  ordered  to  halt  when  about 
twenty  feet  away,  but  receiving  no  satisfactory  response 
to  the  call,  Mr.  Harlow  leveled  his  rifle  at  the  unknown,  at 
the  same  time  ordering  him  to  "  hold  up  his  hands."  Just  at 
that  moment  a  brilliant  flash  of  lightning  revealed  the  man 
with  a  revolver  pointed  directly  at  them.  Both  fired  almost 
simultaneously,  the  ball  from  the  revolver  inflicting  a  severe 
wound  on  Mr.  Harlow's  hand,  the  eff'ects  of  which  he 
bears  to  this  day.  After  the  interchange  of  shots,  the 
stranger  turned  his  horse  and  fled,  followed  by  a  storm  of 
shot  from  Mr.  Halley 's  gun.  Five  days  later  the  man  was 
buried  on  Castle  creek,  about  twelve  miles  north  of 
Custer,  having  died  from  the  effect  of  the  gunshot  wounds 
received  in  his  flight.  The  man  proved  to  be  a  "  pal  "  — 
that's  what  they  call  it,  I  believe,  of  the  notorious  Albert 
Spears,  who  was,  and  perhaps  is  now,  in  prison  for  his 
complicity  in  the  memorable  Cold  Springs  stage  robbery. 

HERMOSA. 

Hermosa  is  an  enterprising  little  agricultural  hamlet, 
situated  on  Battle  creek  outside  of  the  foot-hills,  on  the 
line  of  the  F.  E.  &  M.  V.  Railroad.     The  town  was  organ- 


LAST    HUNTING     GROUND      OF     THE     DAKOTAHS. 


415 


ized  in  1888,  and  contains  a  population  of  125  souls;  has 
three  stores  of  general  merchandise,  three  church  orojaniza- 
tions,  a  creditable  school  building,  and  a  good  school 
separated    into    an    upper    and    primary    grade. 

Buffalo  Gap,  situated  on  the  line  of  the  Fremont,  Elk- 
horn  and  Missouri  Valley  Railway,  at  a  point  where  a  branch 
road  leaves  the  main  line  for  Hot  Springs,  originated  at  the 
time  of  the  advent  of  that  line  to  the  Hills,  and  was,  per- 
haps is  still,  an  important  eating  station  of  the  line.  The 
town  is  noted  chiefly  for  the  extensive  quarries  of  different 
varieties  and  colors  of  fine  sandstone  found  in  its  vicinity, 
large  quantities  of  which  product  have  found  a  ready 
market  in  some  of  the  Eastern  cities.  Other  places  of 
more  or  less  importance  in  Custer  County  are:  Fairburn, 
Folsom,  Otis,  Spokane,  Berne,  Mayo,  Pringle,  Argyle, 
Wind  Cave,  Bakerville,  and  Westford. 


416  THE   BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

PENNINGTON    COUNTY. 

Pennington  County,  the  only  one  of  the  three  counties 
into  which  the  Black  Hills  was  first  separated  that  has 
preserved  its  original  territory  nearly  intact,  occupies 
geographically  a  central  position,  extending  eighty  miles 
in  length  east  and  west,  by  twenty  miles  north  and  south, 
comprising  an  area  of  1,600  square  miles.  The  base  line 
of  the  Hills  survey  on  the  forty-fourth  parallel  of  north 
latitude  passes  through  the  county  at  equi-distance  from  its 
north  and  south  boundary  lines,  as  defined  under  an  act 
of  the  Territorial  Legislature,  approved  in  February,  1877. 
The  boundary  line  between  Pennington  and  Custer  coun- 
ties was  not  definitely  established  until  November  12th, 
1881,  as  was  stated  in  my  treatment  of  Custer  County. 
Pennington  County  is  divided  into  two  nearly  equal  por- 
tions of  mountainous  and  open  country,  the  western  half 
embracing  the  entire  timbered  area,  the  eastern  half  com- 
prising the  prairie  region,  and  for  the  most  part  the  broad, 
fertile  valleys  of  the  streams  draining  the  county  including 
some  of  the  great  cattle  ranges  on  the  south  branch  of  the 
Cheyenne  river.  The  western  or  mountainous  portion  is 
heavily  timbered  with  an  excellent  quality  of  pine  timber 
interspersed  with  patches  of  spruce,  fir,  birch,  oak,  aspen, 
and  willow,  with  the  exception  that  here  and  there  within 
the  timber  line  are  found  quite  extensive  areas  of  open 
prairie  land,  elevated  from  4,500  to  6,000  feet  above  the 
plane  of  the  sea,  while  the  eastern  or  open  portion  is  almost 
wholly  destitute  of  trees  of  any  kind,  save  those  fringing 
the  borders  of  the  larger  streams. 

About  one-third  of  the  great  granite  region  of  the  Hills, 
including  Harney's  Peak,  is  within  the  limits  of  Pennington 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  417 

County.  This  dominant  peak  of  the  Black  Hills,  which  is 
situated  about  twenty-three  miles  as  the  crow  flies,  south- 
west from  Rapid  City,  can  plainly  be  seen  through  the  hazy 
distance  from  the  foot-hills  southwest  and  southeast  of  the 
city,  proudly  lifting  its  gray  coronel  into  the  hovering 
clouds  above  the  lesser  jagged  peaks  and  battlements  of 
the  granite  uplift.  Some  of  the  wildest,  grandest  scenery 
of  the  Hills  is  to  be  found  among  the  rugged  mountains 
and  along  the  canyons  of  the  streams  in  Pennington 
County  —  notably  the  canyons  of  Box  Elder  and  Rapid 
creeks.  The  principal  streams  draining  the  area  of  the 
county  are  the  Box  Elder,  Rapid,  and  Spring  creeks.  The 
Box  Elder  enters  the  county  near  the  center  of  the  north 
boundary  line,  crossing  the  northeast  portion,  rarely, 
however,  carrying  any  surface  water  beyond  the  foot-hills. 

Rapid  creek,  the  longest  stream  having  its  source  in  the 
Hills,  gathers  its  headwaters  near  the  boundary  line  of 
Dakota  and  Wyoming,  and  traverses  the  entire  length  of 
the  county  in  a  southeasterly  direction  to  the  Cheyenne 
river,  to  which  it  contributes  a  considerable  volume  of 
water  throughout  the  year.  Rapid  creek  is  in  its  entirety 
a  Pennington  County  stream,  running  its  whole  length  of 
100  miles  within  the  limits  of  the  county. 

Spring  creek,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  county, 
runs  for  the  most  of  its  course  parallel  with  Rapid  creek, 
then  passes  into  Custer  County  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
Township  2,  Range  9  east,  its  entire  course  being  about 
eighty  miles.  It  is  a  copious  stream  carrying  a  handsome 
volume  of  water  beyond  the  foot-hills. 

The  upper  waters  of  Battle  creek  are  also  in  Pennington 
County.  It  rises  on  the  northeast  slope  of  the  Harney 
range  and  after  running  ten  miles  through  the  roughest 
portion  of  the  county,  it  passes  into  Custer  County,  and 
discharges  its  waters  during  wet  seasons  into  the  Cheyenne 
river,  but  like  Box  Elder  and  Spring  creeks  its  waters 
disappear  in  dry  seasons  when  near  the  foot-hills. 

The  valley  of  the  Cheyenne  river  along  the  eastern  border 

27 


418  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

of  the  county  is  tor  the  most  part  narrow  with  high  pre- 
cipitous bluffs,  and  includes  a  portion  of  the  famous  Bad 
Lands  of  South  Dakota. 

Pennington  County,  although  the  smallest  of  the  three 
original  counties  in  superficial  area,  is  by  no  means  the 
least  important  in  point  of  varied  resources.  It  has  been 
conclusively  demonstrated,  that  in  the  "  mineral  belt," 
within  the  limits  of  the  county,  there  exist  extensive 
ledges  of  rich  mineral  bearing  rock,  and,  while  operations 
in  quartz  mining  have  as  yet  been  limited,  there  are  being 
developed  to-day  some  of  the  richest  mines  of  free  milling 
gold  ore  yet  found  in  the  Black  Hills,  and  the  county  may 
be  ranked  as  an  easy  second  in  the  actual  gold  production 
of  the  Hills.  While  there  have  been  failures  in  mining 
operations  in  the  county,  there  are  doubtless  millions  of 
gold  locked  in  the  natural  vaults  of  its  mountains,  awaiting 
capital  and  judicious  management  to  bring  it  to  the  surface. 

COUNXr   ORGANIZATION. 

By  a  provision  of  the  act  of  the  territorial  legislature  de- 
fining the  boundaries  of  Pennington  County,  the  Governor 
appointed  three  commissioners  to  organize  county  govern- 
ment and  locate  the  county  seat.  The  appointees  were : 
R.  H.  Vosburg,  M.  M.  Fuller,  and  Edwin  Loveland,  the 
latter  not  arriving  in  time  to  qualify,  the  office  was  declared 
vacant,  and  Samuel  H,  Coats  was  appointed  to  fill  the 
vacancy. 

The  whole  roster  of  the  first  otficers  of  the  county  were : 
Commissioners:  R.  H.  Vosburg,  M.  M.  Fuller,  and  Samuel 
H.  Coats;  Probate  Judge,  E.  C.  Peters;  Register  of 
Deeds,  J.  R.   Hanson;  Sheritf,  Frank  P.  Moulton;  Clerk 

of   Courts,   Leonard    W.    Bell;    Treasurer, ;    District 

Attorney,  F.  J.  Washabaugh;  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  John  R.  Brennan  ;  Surveyor,  S.  H.  Coats. 

Strangely  enough,  important  as  the  ofiice  is,  there  was 
no  Treasurer  appointed  by  the  Governor;  at  least  the  rec- 
ords make  no  mention  of  one  —  only  stating  that  on  May 


A   DISTANT    VIEW   OF    HARXEY's   PEAK   FROM   A   POINT   OX   THE 
BURLINGTON   RAILWAY. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  419 

9th,  1877,  at  Sheridan,  E.  C.  Peters  resigned  as  Probate 
Judge,  and  on  same  day  was  appointed  Treasurer,  a 
vacancy  existing. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners 
was  held  at  Rapid  City,  April  19th,  1877,  the  second  on 
April  20th,  on  which  date  the  county  seat  was  located  at 
Sheridan. 

The  first  meeting  at  Sheridan  was  held  May  7th,  1877, 
at  which  session  the  county  was  named  Pennington,  in 
honor  of  John  L.  Pennington,  then  Governor  of  the  Terri- 
tory of  Dakota. 

At  the  election  in  November,  Rapid  City  was  made  the 
permanent  county  seat  by  popular  vote,  and  the  first  meet- 
ing of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  at  the  permanent  capi- 
tal was  held  November  21st,  1877.  Large  sums  were  ex- 
pended by  the  county  in  public  improvements,  such  as 
surveying  and  improving  roads,  building  bridges,  etc.,  the 
principal  roads  laid  out  being  from  Rapid  City  to  the 
Cheyenne  river,  Custer  and  Rochford,  and  from  the  latter 
place  to  Hill  City  via  Castleton. 

In  five  years  from  the  time  of  organization,  the  county 
had  an  assessed  valuation  of  $570,000,  a  total  indebtedness 
of  $42,450,  and  a  population  of  4,000.  In  1897  it  had  an 
assessed  valuation  of  $763,000,  a  total  indebtedness  of 
$208,858  and  a  population  of  9,000  approximately. 

In  1881  the  county  built  its  first  courthouse  — a  fine  two 
and  a  half  story  brick  structure,  at  a  cost  of  $12,000,  for 
the  payment  of  which  county  bonds  were  issued  to  run 
ten  years  at  seven  per  cent  interest,  which  bonds  were 
fully  redeemed  on  maturity.  There  were  subsequently 
other  quite  heavy  expenditures  in  the  equipment  of  the 
jail,  the  planting  of  trees  and  the  improvement  of  the 
courthouse  square. 

Pennington  County's  first  courthouse  has  an  unfortu- 
nate, as  well  as  a  somewhat  singular  history.  On  the  night 
of  April  25th,  1897,  despite  the  heroic  efforts  of  the  fire 
department,  the  handsome  brick  structure  was  burned  from 


420  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

dome  nearly  to  foundation,  only  the  lower  portions  of  the 
outer  walls  remaining.  Only  by  encountering  great  risk, 
did  the  county  oflScials,  with  the  efficient  aid  of  other  citi- 
zens, succeed  in  rescuing  the  valuable  records  from  the 
flames.  The  building  was  covered  by  an  insurance  of 
$10,000. 

In  the  adjustment  of  damages,  the  insurance  company 
in  lieu  of  paying  the  amount  of  insurance  in  money, assumed 
the  responsibility  of  restoring  the  building  to  its  former 
condition,  and  entered  into  contract  for  that  purpose  with 
Thos.  Sweeney,  Hugh  McMahon,  and  Mike  Whealen,  who 
rapidly  pushed  forward  the  work  of  rebuilding.  As  if  by 
the  irony  of  fate,  on  the  night  of  November  10th,  when  the 
building  was  on  the  eve  of  completion,  it  again  took  fire  in 
some  mysterious  manner  and  was  consumed  to  the  founda- 
tion as  before.  With  admirable  pluck  and  determination, 
the  contractors  cleared  away  the  burning  debris,  and  with- 
out loss  of  time  began  the  work  of  rebuilding  though  on  a 
somewhat  different,  but  improved  plan,  the  half-story  being 
left  off  by  the  consent  of  the  commissioners  and  an  addi- 
tional ground  room  added.  On  the  15th  day  of  May,  1898, 
the  structure  was  completed  and  ready  for  occupancy,  and 
any  one  visiting  the  capital  of  Pennington  County  to-day 
will  find,  delightfully  embowered  among  trees,  a  handsome 
two-story  brick  courthouse,  surmounted  by  a  dome,  and 
complete  in  every  detail  of  its  appointments,  in  the  rear  of 
which  is  a  substantial,  well-equipped  two-story  brick  jail 
building  in  the  same  inclosure. 

THE    COUNTY    SEAT. 

Rapid  City,  the  county  seat,  has  more  than  fulfilled  the 
hopeful  predictions  of  its  founders,  of  whom  it  may  be 
said  that  they  "  builded  better  than  they  knew."  Its 
numerous  beautiful  homes,  environed  by  well-kept  lawns 
and  shaded  avenues;  its  many  commodious  and  some  even 
elegant  church  edifices,  and  its  well-equipped  educational 
institutions  ;    its    fine  two  and  three  story  brick  business 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


421 


blocks,  and  broad  well-paved  streets  ;  its  splendid  water 
service  and  electric  lighting  of  to-day  certainly  more  than 
realizes  the   wildest  dreams  of  the  few  men  who  bravely 


RAPID    CITY   IN    1878. 


defended    their    rude    log   cabin    homes  from  the    warlike 
Sioux  in  1876. 

While  the  growth  of  Rapid  City  has  not  been,  perhaps, 
as  rapid  as  the  current  of  the  beautiful  stream  upon  which 
it  is  situated,  and  from  which  it  took  its  name,  it  has  been 


422  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

steady  and  sure.  From  the  time  it  was  made  the  perma- 
nent county  seat  in  November,  1877,  dates  its  substantial 
growth.  Business  about  that  time  began  to  move  from 
Rapid  to  Main  street  where  a  number  of  quite  pretentious 
frame  buildings  were  erected  during  the  years  1877-8, 
among  which  was  Lewis  Hall,  a  two-storied  building  put 
up  by  Wm.  Lewis,  now  deceased,  and  the  old  landmark 
still  stands  in  a  good  state  of  preservation  —  a  monument 
to  the  enterprise  of  one  of  Rapid  City's  first  permanent 
settlers. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  in  Rapid  City  was  opened  and  taught 
by  Miss  Vena  LeGro,  afterwards  Mrs.  Wm.  Steele,  whose 
husband  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Rapid  City. 

The  first  postmaster  of  the  regular  postal  service  in  Rapid 
City  was  J.  R.  Brennan,  who  was  also  the  first  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools  of  Pennington  County. 

School  District  No.  1  of  Pennington  County  was  organized 
in  January,  1878,  after  which  schools  were  taught  in  rented 
buildings  until  1881,  when  the  first  public  school  building 
of  the  county  was  erected  in  Rapid  City.  This  soon  prov- 
ing to  be  inadequate  to  accommodate  the  children  of  the 
growing  community,  it  was  decided,  at  an  election  held  in 
August  of  that  year,  that  the  district  issue  bonds  for  the 
purpose  of  raising  money  to  build  a  more  commodious 
house.  Accordingly  bonds  were  issued  and  in  1882  the 
present  two  and  one-half  storied  brick  structure  was  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $12,000.  In  the  plat  of  the  town  a  large  num- 
ber of  lots  were  reserved  to  provide  a  fund  which  proved 
ample  for  current  school  expenditures  at  that  time. 

The  old  frame  school-house  stands  to-day  on  Kansas 
Citj'^  street  between  5th  and  6th  streets,  whither  it  was 
removed  from  its  original  location,  and  is  now  used  for 
divers  purposes,  chiefly  as  a  carpenter's  shop;  and  just 
across  the  way,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  is  an- 
other  old   building,   badly  warped  out   of   all  its  original 


LAST    HUNTING   GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


423 


symmetry,  and  leaning  reverently  to\vard3  the  rising  sun, 
beariucr  on  its  weather-beaten  facade  the  legend,  "  Felix 
Poznansky,  Dry  Goods,  Boots  &  Shoes,  «fec.,"  where  it  has 
stood  bravely  defying  the  elements  for  lo,  these  many 
years.  This  building,  which  was  removed  from  the  busi- 
ness thoroughfare  of  the  city  to  its  present  locality,  was 
one  of  the  earliest  and  most  flourishing  dry-goods  houses 
in  Eapid  City,  established  and  owned  by  the  gentleman 
whose  honored  name  appears  on  the  legend.  Ah,  what 
tales  these  old  landmarks  tell  of  the  struggles  and  aspira- 
tions of  our  early  settlers  ! 

The  first  religious  organization  in  Rapid  City  was  a 
Union  Aid  Society,  organized  in  August,  1878  (perhaps  a 
few  months  earlier)  by  Rev.  J.  W.  Pickett,  who  had  been 
emploved  by  the  Home  Missionary  Society  in  organizing 
the  Rocky  Mountain  District,  in  which  was  included  the 
Black  Hills.  This  society  was  first  composed  of  members 
of  diverse  creeds  and  religious  proclivities,  perhaps  fifteen 
in  number,  the  major  part  of  whom  subsequently  came  into 
communion  with  the  Congregational  Church,  which  society 
has  now  a  commodious  house  of  worship,  and  is  in  point 
of  numbers  and  financial  standing  the  most  flourishing  in 

the  city.  ,  ,    , ,    • 

The  first  Methodist  Episcopal  services  were  heki  in 
March,  1878,  by  Rev.  H.  H.  Jones;  no  organization,  how- 
ever, was  eff'ected  at  that  time. 

In  December,  1880,  Rev.  Jas.  Williams  and  Rev.  Ira 
Wakefield  resumed  the  work  begun  by  Rev.  Jones,  and  in 
March,  1881,  a  church  was  organized  and  Mrs.  C.  D. 
Crandall  appointed  a  class-leader. 

A  Catholic  church  was  organized  in  1881,  and  soon  after 
their  present  church  building  was  erected. 

The  Episcopal  church  society  was  formed  in  the  summer 
of  1886,  and  their  present  church  edifice  completed  in 
1888,  which  was  followed  successively  by  the  Presbyterian, 
Lutheran,  and  Baptist  churches. 

The  press  is  represented  in  Rapid   City  by  three  news- 


424  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

papers,  the  Journal,  the  Republican,  and  the  Black  Hills 
Union. 

The  Black  Hills  Journal  appeared  on  the  newspaper 
stage,  and  made  its  initial  bow  to  the  Rapid  City  public,  on 
January  5th,  1878,  and  has  ever  since  continued  to  make 
its  weekly  appearance  with  unfailing  regularity.  In  1886 
a  daily  issue  of  the  paper  appeared  under  the  title  of  the 
Rapid  City  Daily  Journal,  since  which  time  both  a  daily 
and  weekly  have  been  published,  the  news  of  the  latter 
being  condensed  from  the  columns  of  the  former,  for 
country  circulation. 

How  ably  the  Journal  has  enacted  its  di/Bcult  role  is 
better  attested  by  its  extensive  patronage  and  long  contin- 
uance, than  can  be  expressed  by  mere  words.  For  twenty 
years  it  has  faithfully  represented  the  best  interests  of  the 
Gate  City,  ever  striving  to  mould  for  their  betterment  the 
sentiment  of  its  people.  The  enterprise  was  established  by 
Joseph  B.  Gossage,  its  present  proprietor,  and  George 
Darrow.  At  the  time,  or  soon  after  its  establishment,  the 
paper  came  under  the  able  editorial  management  of  Richard 
B.  Hughes,  who  is  entitled  to  the  distinction  of  being  the 
first  newspaper  reporter  in  the  Black  Hills,  having  served 
in  that  capacity  for  the  Black  Hill,  Weekly  Pioneer  in 
1876  (see  Chapter  of  First  Events).  The  paper  is  at  pres- 
ent, and  has  been  for  a  number  of  years,  conducted  solely 
by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gossage,  the  latter  of  whom  is  a  whole 
voluminous  newspaper  in  herself.  The  Journal  has  the 
distinction  of  being  the  first  newspaper  published  in  Rapid 
City,  and  of  having  had  the  first  contract  for  the  printing 
of  Pennington  County. 

The  Rapid  City  liepublican  was  established  by  a  corpo- 
ration of  Rapid  City  capitalists  organized  by  Messrs.  Fowler, 
Halley,  Simmons,  Henry,  Coad,  and  others,  in  1884, 
since  which  time  the  j^aper  has  had  a  somewhat  checkered 
career.  The  corporation  purchased  the  printing  outfit  of  a 
"  Democratic  "  paper  published  by  James  Boyd,  under  the 
title  of  the  Index.     The  first  on  the  roster  of  the  editors  of 


RICHARD   B.    HUGHES, 

Reporter  for  the  Black  Hills  Wi:(lhj  Pioneer  in  1876  and  one  of  its 
compositors. 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     425 

the  Republican  was  I.  R.  Crow  —  present  proprietor  of  the 
Bald  Mountain  Neivs — the  second  was  W.  H.  Mitchell, 
who  was  followed  in  regular  sequence  by  Byers,  Simmons, 
Soott,  Bishop,  McManus,  Williams,  and  Wallace,  all  well 
remembered  in  Rapid  City.  The  present  editors  are 
Messrs.  Mills  &  Wise,  former  publishers  of  the  Hermosa 
Pilot.  The  building  and  plant  is  still  owned  by  the  Repub- 
lican Publishing  Co.,  the  press  outfit  being  leased  to  the 
present  proprietors.  The  Republican  was  first  issued  as  a 
weekly  publication,  changing  to  a  daily  in  1885,  and  again 
to  a  weekly  in  1892,  but  whether  daily  or  weekly,  it  has 
always,  politically,  been  published  in  the  interest  of  the 
Republican  party. 

The  Black  Hills  Union  is  an  outgrowth  of  the  Black 
Hills  Weekly  Democrat,  published  in  Rapid  City,  by  G. 
W.  Barrows,  in  1887-8.  The  paper  and  outfit  then  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Shelby  D.  Reed  &  Co.,  by  which  company 
it  was  conducted  for  several  years.  In  1896  it  was  pub- 
lished as  a  political  campaign  paper,  under  its  present  title, 
by  Gird  &  McManus,  the  latter  severing  his  connection 
with  the  concern  at  the  close  of  the  campaign,  leaving  it  in 
the  hands  of  its  present  proprietor,  A.  W.  Gird.  The 
Black  Hills  Union  is  a  spicy  little  sheet  published  in  advo- 
cacy of  equal  rights  and  free  silver,  and  what  Art.  doesn't 
know  about  free  silver  and  16  to  1  is  not  really  worth 
knowing. 

The  first  marriage  in  Rapid  City  was  that  of  Wm.  F, 
Steele  and  Miss  Vena  LeGro,  in  November,  1877.  The 
important  ceremony  was  performed  by  Judge  Granville  G. 
Bennett,  the  first  judge  of  the  first  Black  Hills  District 
Court. 

The  first  child  born  in  Rapid  City  was  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Osceola  Chase  in  the  summer  of  1877. 

LIBRARY    ASSOCIATION. 

An  example  of  the  enterprise  and  progression  by  which 
the  citizens   were  actuated,  is  furnished  by  the  organiza- 


426  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

tion,  at  an  early  date,  of  an  association  iiaving  for  its 
object  the  intellectual  and  social  welfare  of  its  people. 
The  first  steps  in  that  direction  were  taken  on  the  evening 
of  September  22,  1880,  by  a  few  socially  inclined  spirits, 
who  had  met  to  discuss  some  plan  of  amusement  for  winter 
nights,  and  the  outcome  was  the  organization  of  the  Rapid 
City  Library  Association.  J.  B.  Gossage,  W.  H.  Mitchell, 
and  W.  F.  Manning  were  appointed  a  committee  to 
draught  a  constitution  and  by-laws,  and  at  a  subsequent 
meeting  the  organization  was  perfected.  A  room  was  first 
leased  for  temporary  use  and  the  success  of  the  venture 
proved  so  satisfactory  that  in  the  spring  of  1881,  the 
present  Library  Hall  was  designed  and  built.  Land  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Kansas  City  and  Sixth  streets  was 
donated  by  John  R.  Brennan  for  a  site,  and  during  the 
summer  of  1881  the  present  structure  was  completed. 
The  building  was  designed  for  a  reading-room,  library,  and 
theatricals. 

The  initiation  fee  to  the  association  was  originally 
placed  at  $9.00,  which  entitled  the  member  to  the  use  of 
the  books  of  the  library  until  1890,  without  further  dues. 

The  library  contains  500  volumes  of  biograph}',  poetry, 
science,  and  fiction. 

Since  its  building  Library  Hall  has  served  the  people  of 
Rapid  City  well;  not  only  for  the  purposes  originally  con- 
templated, but  for  all  sorts  of  functions,  political,  educa- 
tional, and  social ;  for  the  lecture,  the  concert,  and  dance. 
For  eighteen  years  her  beauty  and  her  chivalry  have  gath- 
ered there  and  joined  in  the  "  giddy  mazes  "  to  enchanting 
strains.  Periodically,  for  eighteen  years  the  leaders  of  the 
opposing  political  factions  have  thundered  out  their  respec- 
tive partisan  creeds  from  its  boards;  whence  the  changes 
have  again  and  again  been  rung  on  the  whole  political 
gamut,  of  free  trade,  protection,  free  silver,  the  single 
gold  standard,  and  other  political  issues  —  each  uttering 
prophetic  warnings  against  the  dangerous  dogmas  of  their 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  427 

opponents,  as  tending  tq  undermine  and  utterly  overthrow 
our  free  institutions.  Yet,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  our 
"  Republic  still  lives,"  and  old  Library  Hall  stands. 

SECRET    ORDERS. 

The  preliminary  organization  of  Rapid  City  Lodge  A.  F. 
and  A.  M.  was  effected  May  16th,  1881,  and  the  first  regu- 
lar communication  of  the  order  was  held  at  Masonic  Hall, 
September  2nd,  1882.  The  organization  was  soon  after 
perfected,  and  the  lodge  is  now  in  a  flourishing  condition, 
with  handsomely  furnished  rooms  for  the  meetings  of  the 
order.  There  are  now  also,  large  lodges  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
Knights  of  Pythias,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  The  Eastern  Star, 
Daughters  of  Rebecca,  and  perhaps  other  lodges,  with 
well-fitted  commodious  rooms. 

MANUFACTURING. 

The  first  flouring  mill  in  Rapid  City  was  built  in  1883  by 
Lampert  &  Co.,  in  the  gap  of  the  Hills,  about  a  half  mile 
west  of  the  business  portion  of  the  city.  For  several  years 
or  until  1890  it  was  the  only  plant  for  the  manufacture  of 
flour  in  the  city,  when  it  was  supplemented  by  the  plant  of 
the  Rapid  River  Milling  Co. 

The  Rapid  River  Milling  Co.  completed  its  plant  on 
February  1st,  1890,  and  commenced  operations  under  the 
directorship  of  R.  C.  Lake,  D.  H.  Clark,  G.  Schnasse,  Jas. 
Halley,  Jas.  W.  Fowler,  W.  A.  Wager  and  John  J.  Mc- 
Namara.  The  present  officers  of  the  company  are  G.  G. 
Schnasse,  President;  Jas.  W.  Fowler,  Vice-President; 
Jas.  Halley,  Treasurer;  John  J.  McNamara,  Secretary  and 
General  Manager. 

The  plant  is  operated  by  water  power,  uses  a  full  roller 
process,  and  has  a  capacity  of  150  pounds  of  flour  per  day. 
The  plant  has  established  a  wide  reputation  for  the  manu- 
facture of  Superior  flour. 


428  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

CHLORINATION    WORKS. 

The  Rapid  City  Chloiination  plant  was  established  in 
1890  by  the  Black  Hills  Milling  &  Smelting  Co.  at  an  orig- 
inal cost  of  $125,000.  The  works  were  put  in  operation 
on  ore  taken  from  the  Welcome  mine  in  the  vicinity  of 
Deadwood,  under  the  management  of  Robt.  Thorburn,  but 
for  some  reason  the  enterprise  proved  a  losing  venture,  as, 
after  running  in  a  kind  of  intermittent  way  for  a  period  of 
perhaps  a  year,  the  works  closed  down,  and  the  property 
went  into  the  hands  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rapid 
City.  Whether  the  ore  was  not  adapted  to  the  process,  or 
the  process  suited  to  that  particular  ore,  or  for  some  other 
reason,  is  not  clear. 

After  lying  idle  for  five  years  the  plant  was  purchased 
by  a  Colorado  company,  of  which  Col.  M.  H.  Day,  of 
Rapid  City,  is  president — under  whose  management  the 
old  works  have  undergone  complete  repairs,  and  other 
improved  machinery  added  to  make  the  process  a  success. 
The  plan  of  the  new  management  contemplates  the  erection 
of  a  smelter  to  be  run  in  connection  with  the  chlorinutiou 
works.  The  smelter  is  to  be  of  240  tons  capacity,  and 
built  of  steel,  the  contract  for  the  construction  of  which 
has  been  awarded  to  the  Colorado  Iron  Works  of  Denver, 
Colorado.  The  plant,  when  completed,  will  operate,  in 
part,  on  ore  taken  from  the  Gilt  Edge  mine,  in  Two-Bit 
gulch,  owned  by  M.  H.  Day  &  Son,  and  in  part  on  custom 
ore.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are  100,000  tons  of  low 
grade  ore  in  sight  in  the  Gilt  Edge  mine  that  will  average 
from  $16  to  $25  per  ton.  This,  however,  is  said  to  be  the 
lowest  grade  of  ore  in  the  mine.  The  success  of  the  enter- 
prise promises  a  long  pay-roll  and  better  times  for  Rapid 
City. 

THE    RAPID    CITY    WATER    SYSTEM. 

The  first  movement  towards  supplying  Rapid  City  with 
water  was  made  in  1883  or  4  by  an  organization  known  as  the 
Rapid  City  Water  Co.,  of  which  C.  W.  Robbins  was  presi- 


^i- 


._s».. 


i-l- 


'J^^ 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  429 

dent,  M.  Cameron,  treasurer,  and  Sam'l  Scott,  secretary. 
The  desio-n  was  to  bring  the  water  from  what  is  known  as 
Cleghorn  Springs,  five  miles  west  of  the  city,  the  company 
having  negotiated  for  their  purchase  from  the  owner. 
An  effort  was  made  to  secure  a  franchise  from  the  city 
without  success,  —  at  least  there  was  no  binding  action 
taken,  the  council  wisely  deciding  that  the  better  plan 
would  be  for  the  city  to  own  the  system.  At  a  meeting  of 
the  council  on  March  5th,  1895,  the  city  engineer,  M. 
Wiltsie,  reported  a  plan  for  a  system  at  an  estimated  cost 
of  $45,000.  The  council  decided  to  submit  the  question  of 
issuing  bonds  and  constructing  the  system  to  the  voters  of 
the  municipality.  Meetings  were  held  at  Library  Hall  to  dis- 
cuss the  question,  and  present  to  the  people  the  advantages 
of  the  system.  At  the  first  meeting  on  March  20,  1885, 
Messrs.  Simmons,  Poznanska,  Haft,  Hay  ward,  Sweeney, 
and  Clark  were  appointed  a  committee  to  report  a  plan  and 
estimate  cost.  At  a  meeting  on  March  24  the  committee 
reported,  recommending  the  reservoir  system,  stating  that 
$45,000  was  not  an  overestimate  of  cost  of  such  a  system, 
which  report  was  approved.  The  special  election  held  on 
the  28th  resulted  in  200  in  favor  to  three  in  opposition  to 
the  issuing  of  bonds.  At  the  municipal  election,  which 
occurred  soon  after,  the  enterprise  received  the  further  ap- 
proval of  the  voters  by  the  election  of  James  Halley,  who 
had  been  active  in  favor  of  the  scheme,  to  the  mayoralty,  and 
Felix  Poznansky,  L.  L.  Davis,  and  F.  H.  Mohr,  to  the 
council,  all  of  whom  were  in  hearty  approval  of  the  enter- 
prise. 

On  July  25th,  1885,  the  city  entered  into  contract  with 
the  Northwestern  Water  and  Gas  Supply  Company  of 
Minneapolis  to  put  in  a  system  in  accordance  with  the 
plan,  including  the  construction  of  a  reservoir  within  the 
city  limits.  This  reservoir  was  located  on  the  eastern 
slope,  near  the  summit  of  Hangman's  Hill,  at  an  elevation 
of  188  feet  above  the  city,  and  had  a  capacity  of  375,986 
ofallons. 


430 


THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


BEECHER'S   rocks,   near   CUSTER. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  431 

By  the  terms  of  the  contract,  which  was  carefully  drawn 
by  Jas.  W.  Fowler,  the  system  was  to  be  finished  for  fire 
purposes  by  January  5th,  1886,  and  for  all  purposes  by 
July  1st  of  that  year,  but,  owing  to  delay  in  the  arrival  of 
material,  and  the  failure  of  subcontractors  to  complete 
their  work,  there  was  default  in  both  specifications.  Not 
until  sixty  days  after  the  signing  of  the  contract  did  the 
first  material  arrive  on  the  ground.  Lewis  Harper,  the 
superintendent  of  construction,  arrived  on  September  4th, 
and  ground  was  broken  on  September  13th,  1885.  That 
was  before  the  advent  of  railroads  to  the  Hills,  and  all  the 
heavy  supplies  for  the  system  had  to  be  transported  by 
wagon  across  the  country  from  Pierre  to  Rapid  City,  a 
distance  of  150  miles. 

To  provide  funds  for  the  construction  of  the  work,  the 
city  first  issued  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $45,000,  payable  in 
twenty  years  at  seven  per  cent  interest.  On  October  2d, 
1885,  additional  bonds  were  issued  in  the  sum  of  $6,000, 
making  the  issue  to  that  time  $51,000.  On  December  31st, 
1885,  the  city  purchased  for  $1,000,  from  Cassius  M.  Leedy, 
the  springs  known  as  the  Leedy  or  Limestone  Springs,  the 
source  of  the  water  supply,  three  miles  west  of  Rapid  City. 

Seven  years  later  the  city  decided  to  make  extensive 
improvements  on  the  system,  and  on  July  27th,  1892,  a 
contract  was  let  for  the  building  of  a  large  reservoir  at 
Limestone  Springs,  and  a  conduit  line  thence  to  the  city, 
the  cost  of  which  was  $30,000,  paid  in  city  general  fund 
warrants,  making  the  total  cost  of  the  system  $81,000. 

The  natural  flow  from  the  springs  is  540,000  gallons  per 
day.  The  pressure  in  the  city  mains  is  seventy-five  pounds 
to  the  square  inch,  and  there  are  now  over  ten  miles  of 
water  mains  in  the  system.  No  town  in  the  Black  Hills 
can  boast  of  a  more  complete  water  system  than  Rapid 
City.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  gallons  of  pure,  whole- 
some water,  free  from  all  suspicion  of  disease  germs,  are 
daily  carried  from  the  inexhaustible  fountain  head  and 
distributed  through  a   perfect  system  of  main  and  service 


432  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OR, 

pipes  to  every  house  and  nearly  every  business  place  in  the 
city. 

RAPID    CITY    PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 

Rapid  City  has  good  reason  to  feel  proud  of  her  public 
schools,  which  in  point  of  educational  facilities  and  general 
excellence  are  second  to  none  in  the  State.  From  an 
humble  beginning  the  system  has  expanded  into  large  and 
encouraging  proportions,  with  four  well-equipped  school 
buildings,  filled  with  an  aggregate  of  from  450  to  500 
pupils  each  year,  presided  over  by  a  corps  of  capable  pro- 
gressive instructors.  Besides  the  commodious  three-storied 
brick  structure  before  referred  to  the  city  has  three  com- 
fortable, well-furnished  ward  school  buildings  of  frame, 
two  of  which  employ  two  teachers  each,  making  a  total  corps 
of  thirteen  instructors,  including  superintendent.  The 
course  of  study  embraces  an  eight-year  course  before  enter- 
ing the  high  school  and  a  four-years'  high  school  course. 
The  high  school  prepares  its  graduates  for  the  State  Univer- 
sity and  State  normal  schools  and  gives  thorough  instruction 
in  all  the  studies  included  in  the  courses  of  the  best  high 
schools  of  the  State.  The  high  school  was  established  in 
1885  and  graduated  its  first  class  in  the  spring  of  1886. 

The  high  school  building  is  provided  with  a  library  con- 
tainins:  250  volumes  of  well  selected  books  and  more  are 
being  added  each  year.  The  school  population  of  the  city 
by  the  census  of  1898  was  564,  and  school  expenditures 
for  the  term  ending  June,  1898,  was  $9,906.62. 

SCHOOL    OF    MINES. 

With  the  development  of  the  mineral  resources  of  the 
Black  Hills,  facilities  for  acquiring  a  technical  knowledge 
of  their  rock  formation,  the  analyses  of  their  various  kinds 
of  ore  deposits,  mining,  etc.,  became  a  practical  necessity. 
To  supply  this  demand,  and  for  the  purpose  of  encourag- 
ing the  production  of  the  precious  metals  in  the  Black 
Hills,  the  Legislature  of  1885,  with  a  wholesome  regard  for 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  433 

the  *'  eternal  fitness  of  things,'"  passed  an  act  locating  the 
School  of  Mines  of  the  Territory  of  Dakota  at  Kapid  City  — 
a  central  point,  equally  accessil)le  to  the  principal  mineral- 
bearing  portions  of  the  Hills.  This  act,  however,  was 
coupled  with  the  proviso  that,  before  any  steps  be  taken 
towards  the  construction  of  the  buildings,  a  good  and  suffi- 
cient deed,  in  fee-simple,  be  made  by  Rapid  City  to  the 
Territory  of  Dakota,  for  a  tract  of  land  not  less  than  five 
acres  in  extent,  within,  or  immediately  adjacent  to  the  city 
limits. 

For  the  purpose  of  providing  funds  for  the  construction 
of  the  main  building  of  the  School  of  Mines,  the  territorial 
treasurer  was  authorized  to  issue  $10,000  of  territorial 
bonds,  running  for  a  period  of  twenty  years,  and  payable 
at  the  option  of  the  Territory,  after  a  term  of  ten  years, 
bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent  per  annum, — 
coupons  payable  semi-annually  at  the  Chemical  Bank,  New 
York. 

By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  1887,  additional  bonds 
were  authorized  by  the  Territory  to  the  amount  of  $23,000, 
bearing  interest  at  five  per  cent  per  annum,  payable  semi- 
annually as  in  the  first  issue.  The  fund  provided  by  this 
last  issue  was  appropriated  as  follows:  — 

For  constructing  a  metallurgical  laboratory  on  the 
grounds  of  the  School  of  Mines  and  furnishing  the  same, 
$10,000;  for  machinery  for  laborator}',  $10,000;  for  engi- 
neering instruments,  $1,000;  for  completing  chemical  lab- 
oratory, $2,000;  making  a  total  aggregate  of  $33,000  of 
territorial  bonds  issued  on  account  of  the  Dakota  School  of 
Mines. 

Upon  the  division  of  the  Territory,  in  1889,  all  of  these 
bonds,  with  some  of  the  coupons  detached,  came  as  a  leg- 
acy to  South  Dakota,  together  with  nearly  $700,000  other 
territorial  bonds  issued  on  account  of  public  institutions. 
The  School  of  Mines  is  maintained  by  the  State.  Appropri- 
ations —  more  or  less  liberal,  according  to  the  effect  of  the 
influence  brought  to  bear  upon  our  legislators  —  are  made 

28 


434  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

for  the  maintenance  of  the  institution  at  each  biennial  ses- 
sion of  the  Legislature. 

The  experimental  work  done  by  the  school  in  the  direc- 
tion of  determining  the  character  and  value  of  the  ores  of 
the  Hills  has  proved  invaluable  to  their  mining  interests, 
and  in  the  departments  of  mineralogy  and  metallurgy,  few 
institutions  of  the  kind  anywhere  are  better  equipped  for 
the  work. 

The  school  is  located  about  one  mile  east  of  the  business 
portion  of  the  city,  at  the  foot  of  a  range  of  hills  forming 
a  semi-circle  around  the  town,  and  overlooking  the  valley 
of  Rapid  creek. 

The  tirst  building  erected  is  a  three-story  brick  structure, 
on  the  first  floor  of  which  is  the  chemical  department, 
completely  equipped  and  perfectly  arranged  for  chemical 
laboratory  work,  and  capable  of  accommodating  about 
thirty  students  at  one  time,  each  provided  with  all  the  nec- 
essary facilities  for  thorough  chemical  tests.  The  second 
floor  consists  of  two  lecture  rooms  and  dean's  office,  in 
which  is  kept  the  library  of  the  institution.  The  third 
floor  is  devoted  exclusively  to  the  mineralogical  and  paleon- 
tological  cabinets,  in  which  there  are  extensive  and  valuable 
collections. 

The  second  building,  200  feet  to  the  eastward,  contains 
the  assay  and  raetalUirgioal  laboratories.  This  building, 
the  front  portion  of  which  is  two  stories  in  height,  is  also 
built  of  brick.  On  the  first  floor  of  this  portion  are  the 
assay  rooms  for  the  students,  provided  with  a  number  of 
crucible  furnaces  built  of  fire-brick  and  set  in  the  wall. 
The  rear  portion  of  the  building,  which  is  only  one  story 
high,  contains  a  complete  3-stamp  gold  mill,  a  5-stamp 
silver  mill,  concentrating  machinery,  and  other  approved 
appliances  for  the  treatment  of  ores.  In  short,  every 
facility  is  afforded  the  student  for  acquiring  a  thorough 
practical  knowledge  of  the  art  of  separating  and  refining 
the  various  kinds  of  metals. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  435 

INDIAN    SCHOOL. 

A  recent  addition  to  the  educational  institutions  of  Rapid 
City  is  the  government  Indian  school.  The  establishment 
of  this  institution  at  Rapid  City  and  the  appropriations 
therefor  were  secured  mainly  through  the  efforts  of  Senator 
Pettigrew  and  Representative  Gamble  of  South  Dakota. 
At  the  last  session  of  the  Fifty-first  Congress  the  bill  was 
passed,  appropriating  the  sura  of  $25,000  for  the  purchase 
of  a  tract  of  aorricultural  land,  and  the  construction  of 
suitable  buildings  for  the  education,  industrial  and  other- 
wise, of  Uncle  Sam's  youthful  wards  in  South  Dakota.  A 
fine  farm  of  160  acres  situated  in  the  valley  of  Rapid  creek, 
about  one  mile  west  of  Rapid  City,  was  purchased  of  Geo. 
P.  Bennett,  at  a  cost  of  $2,000,  and  a  site  for  the  build- 
ings selected  on  an  elevated  plateau  adjacent  thereto. 

An  additional  appropriation  of  $18,000  was  afterwards 
made  for  the  cost  of  heating,  sewerage,  industrial  shops, 
laundry,  etc.  The  main  building,  which  is  now  completed, 
is  a  commodious,  two-story  brick  structure,  suitably 
arranged  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  designed.  The 
other  buildings  appertaining  to  the  institution  are  nearing 
completion,  and  will  soon  be  equipped  for  the  opening  of 
the  school. 

RAPID    CITY    INCORPORATED. 

On  October  11th,  1882,  the  town  of  Rapid  City  was 
incorporated  as  a  village  and  divided  into  four  wards  with 
John  R.  Brennan  as  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
which  consisted  of  one  member  from  each  of  the  four 
wards. 

The  village  was  incorporated  as  a  city  under  a  special 
charter  granted  by  the  Legislature  in  February,  1883,  with 
Fred  E.  Stearns  as  the  city's  first  Mayor  and  one  member 
of  the  City  Council  from  each  ward. 

It  was  again  incorporated  under  the  general  laws  on 
November  16th,  1888,  with  David   H.  Clark  as  Mayor  of 


436  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

last  incorporation,  the  Council  consisting  of  two  Aldermen 
from  each  ward. 

Several  additions  have  from  time  to  time  been  attached 
to  the  original  plat,  and  incorporated  into  the  city  until 
now  it  covers  an  area  of  two  miles  square,  and,  basing  the 
estimate  upon  the  school  census  of  1898,  contains  a  popu- 
lation of  2,000. 

THE    FIRST    RAILROAD. 

Rapid  City  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  city 
in  the  BUicli  Hills  to  be  connected  by  railway  with  the  out- 
side world.  On  the  4th  day  of  July,  1886,  the  first  steam 
locomotive  to  invade  the  solitude  of  the  Hills,  —  heralding 
its  approach  by  the  shrill  tooting  of  its  whistle,  arrived  at 
Rapid  City  with  five  passenger  cars,  gaily  decorated  with 
flags  attached,  amid  the  loud  acclamations  of  the  thronsr 
that  had  gathered  at  the  station  to  welcome  its  advent.  It 
is  needless  to  say  that  the  event  was  celebrated  by  the  peo- 
ple in  a  manner  commensurate  with  its  importance.  On 
the  strength  of  the  prevalent  belief  that  it  might  be  the 
terminus  of  the  F.  E.  &  M.  V.  Railway  line  Rapid  City 
had  the  nearest  approach  to  a  veritable  boom  that  that  sober 
city  ever  experienced.  For  the  month  that  it  remained 
the  terminus  all  freight  for  other  points  in  the  Hills  was 
unloaded  from  the  cars  and  shipped  by  wagon  to  its  desti- 
nation,—  making  times  exceedingly  lively;  so  when  the 
grading  began  along  the  line  northward,  the  bubble  began 
to  collapse,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the  average  Rapid  City 
citizen. 

During  the  inflation  of  the  bubble  several  important 
railroad  projects  were  inaugurated,  which  promised  to 
make  Rapid  City  a  great  railroad  center.  A  survey  for  a 
narrow-gauge  line  to  connect  with  the  mineral  and  lumber 
regions  of  the  Hills  was  made,  and  the  projector  of  the 
scheme,  Mr.  E.  B.  Chapman,  agreed,  in  consideration  of  a 
liberal  bonus  by  the  people,  to  have  thirty  miles  of  the  line 
completed  and  in  operation  by  thebeginningof  theyear  1888. 


>: 


J 


mi 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  437 

Another  survey  for  a  narrow-gauge  railroad  was  made 
from  Rapid  City  to  the  tin  districts  of  Harney  Peak  and 
Hill  City,  to  extend  into  Wyoming.  This  was  a  project  of 
the  Harney  Peak  Tin  Mining  Co. 

Another  survey  was  made  from  Chamberlain  to  Rapid 
City  by  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  Co. 
with  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  road  soon  after  the 
opening  of  the  Sioux  reservation.  While  none  of  these 
projects  have  yet  been  carried  out,  it  is  believed  that,  owing 
to  its  inviting  location  at  the  natural  gateway  to  the  Hills, 
and  by  virtue  of  the  enterprise  and  liberality  of  its  citizens, 
Rapid  City  will,  in  the  not  distant  future,  become  the  focus 
of  several  converging  and  diverging  lines  of  railway. 

In  the  summer  of  1886  the  Rapid  City  Street  Railway 
Co.  was  formed,  which  constructed  a  street  line  of  about 
one  mile  in  length  alons:  the  center  of  Main  street  from 
West  boulevard  to  the  Fremont,  Elkhorn  &  Missouri  Val- 
ley Railway  station,  which  line  was  afterwards  extended  to 
the  School  of  Mines  to  accommodate  the  students  and  fac- 
ulty of  that  institution.  The  company  was  incorporated 
and  stocked  in  the  sum  of  $10,000,  and  the  cost  of  the  line 
is  estimated  at  about  $7,000.  The  enterprise  is  yet  a  living, 
moving  reality,  operated  under  the  management  of  Howard 
Worth,  of  Rapid  City. 

THE    ELECTRIC    SYSTEM    OF    RAPID    CITY. 

The  Rapid  City  Electric  and  Gas  Light  Company 
was  organized  in  September,  1886,  by  O.  L.  Cooper,  of 
Rapid  City,  and  at  once  incorporated  with  a  capital  of 
$20,000.  The  first  officers  of  the  company  were:  G.  S. 
Congdon,  President;  O.  L.  Cooper,  Secretary;  and  H.  S. 
Hall,  Treasurer.  The  plant,  which  is  operated  by  water 
power,  had  an  original  capacity  of  only  forty-seven  lights 
of  1,200  candle  power,  since,  however,  the  capacity  of  the 
dynamo  has  been  greatly  enlarged.  For  the  first  five  years 
only  the  arc  light  system  was  used,  to  which,  in  1892,  the 
incandescent  light  was  added.     While   the  plant  is  owned 


438  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

by  the  same  corporation,  none  of  the  original  incorporators 
are  now  connected  with  it. 

THE    RAPID    CITY    FIRE    DEPARTMENT. 

The  present  efficient  Fire  Department  of  Rapid  City  was 
organized  in  1887,  at  which  time  it  was  composed  of  the 
following  companies  with  their  respective  officers:  — 

Gate  City  Hose  Company,  No.  1  ;  D.  G.  Ferguson,  Fore- 
man; Mel.  Miller,  First  Assistant;  Frank  McMahon,  Sec- 
ond Assistant;  Jack  Taylor,  Secretary;  W.  L.  Carr, 
Treasurer. 

Rapid  City  Hook  and  Ladder,  No.  1:  Chas.  N.  Spencer, 
Foreman;  Cassius  Price,  First  Assistant;  J.  J.  Sharp, 
Second  Assistant;  J.  J.  Rockford,  Secretary;  Lem  Fall, 
Treasurer. 

Tom  Sweeney  Hose  Company  :  A.  L.  Overpeck,  Fore- 
man ;  R.  E.  Grimshaw,  First  Assistant;  A.  H.  Smith,  Sec- 
ond Assistant ;  Jas.  W.  Post,  Secretary;  John  S.  Kelliher, 
Treasurer. 

There  was  a  partial  organization  of  the  first  two  com- 
panies mentioned  in  1886,  which  was  completed  in  1887. 

BANKING    INSTITUTIONS. 

The  business  interests  of  Rapid  City  at  present  support 
two  banking  institutions,  both  strong,  well  managed  organ- 
izations, having  a  fine  prestige  in  financial  circles  through- 
out the  country. 

The  oldest  of  these,  and  the  pioneer  banking  institution 
of  Rapid  City,  was  first  opened  for  the  transaction  of  busi- 
ness on  December  1st,  1879,  by  Lake,  Halley  &  Patterson, 
with  a  capital  of  $10,000.00. 

In  1881  Lake  &  Halley  bought  Mr.  Patterson's  interest 
in  the  concern,  and  the  bank  was  then  conducted  under 
the  name  of  Lake  &  Halley  until  September  1st,  1884, 
when  the  bank  was  merged  into  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Rapid  City,  with  Richard  C.  Lake  as  President,  and 
Jas.  Halley  as  Cashier,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000.00. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND   OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  439 

The  present  officers  of  the  bank  are  :  Jas.  Halley,  President ; 
Charlotte  Gardner,  Vice-President ;  H.H.  Somers,  Cashier. 
Its  capital  is  $50,000.00;  surplus  $10,000.00;  deposits, 
$300,000.00.  The  bank  has  paid  in  dividends  to  its  stock- 
holders $119,500.00.  The  First  National  Bank  conducts 
all  the  departments  of  a  legitimate  banking  business —  in- 
cluding the  negotiation  of  loans,  the  reception  of  deposits, 
the  issuance  of  notes,  drafts,  and  letters  of  credit,  and  has 
been  a  successful  institution  from  the  first. 

The  Pennington  County  Bank  of  Rapid  City  began  busi- 
ness on  the  22d  day  of  April,  1888,  under  the  hiws  of  the 
State  of  South  Dakota,  with  a  paid-up  capital  of  $50,000,00. 
The  bank  was  established  by  Capt.  Frank  R.  Davis  of 
Rapid  City;  Stephen  H.  Mills  of  New  York  City;  Jesse 
Carll  of  Northport,  New  York,  and  other  associates  of  Mr. 
Davis.  The  first  officers  of  the  bank  were  :  S.  H.  Mills, 
President;  Edward  Oakes,  Vice-President;  Frank  R. 
Davis,  Cashier  ;  Geo.  F.  Schneider,  Assistant  Cashier.  In 
1892  Jas.  M.  Woods  was  elected  vice-president  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Oakes.  In  1893  Mr. 
Davis  died,  when  Geo.  F.  Schneider  was  elected  cashier. 
The  present  officers  of  the  bank  are:  Stephen  H.  Mills, 
President;  Jas.  M.  Woods,  Vice-President;  Geo.  F. 
Schneider,  Cashier;  Paul  S.  Woods,  Assistant  Cashier. 
The  Pennington  County  Bank  is  a  State  bank  organized 
under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  South  Dakota;  and  enjoys 
the  distinction  of  beins^  the  largest  State  bank  in  South 
Dakota.  Its  capital  stock  is  $50,000.00  ;  a  surplus  of  $10,- 
000.00;  undivided  profits,  $5,076.00;  average  deposits, 
$225,000,  and  pays  a  semi-annual  dividend  of  five  per  cent 
to  its  stockholders.  The  Pennington  County  Bank  is  the 
county  depositary  of  Pennington  Count}'. 

Rapid  City  sustains  four  hotels,  between  fifty  and  sixty 
business  houses  of  various  kinds,  among  which  are  a  num- 
ber of  mammoth  establishments,  conducting  several  dis- 
tinct lines  of  business,  fourteen  lawyers,  si.K  doctors,  one 
dental  surgeon,  and  several  real  estate  and  insurance  offices. 


440  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Of  the  four  hotels,  the  International,  now  kept  by  P.  B. 
McCarty,  is  believed  to  be  the  oldest.  Around  this  vener- 
able hostelry  clusters  memories  of  the  hustling,  bustling 
<lays  of  early  stage  travel  and  road  agents,  when  sleeping 
accommodations  for  the  bruised  and  battered  passengers 
was  at  a  premium,  and  when  the  rumbling  of  the  old  tally- 
hos,  as  they  dashed  up  to  their  respective  headquarters  on 
opposite  corners,  was  a  familiar  sound.  During  those  days 
the  International  was  the  headquarters  of  the  Northwestern 
Stage  &  Transportation  Line  running  between  Deadwood 
and  Pierre,  while  its  rival  on  the  opposite  corner,  first  kept 
by  John  R.  Brennan,  furnished  accommodations  for 
travelers  over  the  Deadwood  &  Sidney  Express  Line. 

Hotel  Harney,  a  fine  three-storied  brick  structure,  con- 
taining fifty  rooms,  with  a  capacity  for  entertaining  seventy- 
five  guests,  was  opened  in  1878  and  is  still  conducted  by 
John  R.  Brennan,  —  mine  host  of  the  12x14  log  hotel  of 
1876. 

Among  the  present  firms  that  began  business  when  the 
town  was  very  young,  and  when  goods  and  merchandise  had 
to  be  brought  in  by  mule  and  ox-teams,  are  the  following: 
Perhaps  the  oldest  is  that  of  Grambery  &  Co.,  established 
by  Schnasse  &  Grambery  in  the  fall  of  1877.  The  oldest 
dry  goods  firm  is  that  of  Morris  &  Co.,  established  in 
Rapid  City  in  the  spring  of  1878.  Mr.  Jacob  Morris 
brougrht  his  stock  of  clothing  and  furnishing  goods  down 
from  Deadwood  in  the  early  part  of  May,  and  opened  busi- 
ness on  Main  street  where  he  is  located  to-day.  The 
longest  established  of  the  drug  stores  of  Rapid  City 
was  opened  by  Chas.  D.  Matteson  in  1878,  and  oldest 
hardware  store  by  Thomas  Sweeney. 

It  is  cruelly  related  of  Tom  that  he  came  over  the  trail 
alongside  of  an  ox-train  with  his  hat  in  his  hand  and 
arrived  in  Rapid  City  in  1877,  without  a  dollar  in  his 
pocket  and  destitute  of  "  grub,"  but  being  a  business  man 
and  a  born  "  rustler,"  he  soon  devised  ways  and  means  to 
put  himself  on  a  paying  basis.     He  rented  a  small  room, 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     441 

borrowed  a  razor,  and  opened  a  barber  shop.  His  first 
customer  was  Fred  Evans,  who  paid  him  the  liberal  sura  of 
fifty  cents  for  the  shave.  This  half  dollar  was  Ihe  capital 
stock  which  started  him  in  business,  and  put  him  on  the 
high  road  to  wealth.  It  is  believed,  however,  that  this 
story  is  an  exaggeration.  Be  that  as  it  may,  Thos.  Sweeney 
is  now  conducting  one  of  the  largest  business  establishments 
in  the  Black  Hills. 

Of  the  present  bar,  Chauncey  L.  Wood  has  the  distinction 
of  being  the  first  to  establish  himself  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Rapid  City,  where  he  arrived  in  the  spring  of 
1877,  and  soon  after  opened  an  office.  In  the  spring  of 
1878  he  became  associated  with  his  old-time  friend  and 
college  chum,  John  W.  Novvlin,  whose  interesting  career 
will  be  referred  to  further  on.  For  the  past  twenty  years 
Chauncey  L.  Wood  has  been  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the 
political  history  of  the  Black  Hills,  and  a  leader  in  the 
Democratic  party  of  Dakota.  He  is  a  profound  lawyer,  a 
])owerful  and  eloquent  pleader,  and  his  name  stands  high 
among  the  leading  attorneys  of  the  State.  Because  of  his 
knowledo;e  of  constitutional  law  he  was  selected  as  one  of 
the  delegates  to  represent  the  Black  Hills  at  the  constitu- 
tional convention  held  at  Sioux  Falls  on  July  4th,  1889,  to 
help  frame  a  constitution  for  the  new  State  of  South 
Dakota,  as  provided  for  in  the  bill,  admitting  it  to  State- 
hood. 

The  history  of  Rapid  City  would  scarcely  be  complete 
without  a  brief  sketch  of  the  Black  Hills  career  of  John  W. 
Nowlin,  who  for  a  number  of  years  was  intimately  identi- 
fied with  its  municipal  affairs,  and  whose  name,  a  synonym 
for  all  that  is  admirable  in  manhood,  is  still  honored 
by  its  people.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1876,  Judge  Nowlin, 
then  a  young  law  graduate  from  the  Iowa  State  University, 
left  his  native  State  ( Iowa)  to  seek  his  fortune  and  fame  amid 
the  more  generous  possibilities  of  the  boundless  West.  In 
the  spring  of  1877,  the  ambitious  young  adventurer,  after 
having  spent  a  year  on  the  threshold  at  Yankton,  purchased 


442 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


an  outfit  and  established  a  freight  line  between  Pierre  and 
Deadwood,  but  during  the  summer  of  the  same  year  sold 
his  line  aitd  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  law  in 
Crook  City,  then  on  the  wane,  where  he  remained  but  a 
short  time. 

In  April,  1878,  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Chaun- 
cey  L.  Wood,  which  firm  opened  practice  in  Rapid  City 
under  the  firm  name  of  Nowlin  &  Wood.  In  the  fall  of 
1878  he  was  elected  Judofe  of  Probate  for  Pennington 
County,  and  re-elected  in  1880,  and  it  was  during  his 
incumbency  as  Probate  Judge  that  he  did  such  valuable 
service  for  Rapid  City.  Against  strong  opposition  he  se- 
cured the  patent  for  the  town-site  in  1881,  and  also  drew 
the  first  charter  under  which  it  was  incorporated  as  a  city 
in  1883.  In  the  fall  of  1884,  he  was  elected  to  the  Terri- 
torial Legislature,  at  which  session  he  drew,  and  was  largely 
instrumental  in  securing  the  passage  of  the  act,  establishino' 
the  School  of  Mines  at  Rapid  City.  In  1885  he  was  ap- 
pointed Judge  of  the  first  Circuit  Court,  by  the  executive  of 
the  provisional  State  government  formed  during  that  3'ear. 

About  this  time  his  health  began  to  fail,  when  he  sus- 
pended practice,  and  journeyed  away  off  to  the  sunny 
slopes  of  California,  visiting  Arizona  and  New  Mexico, 
with  the  vain  hope  of  arresting  the  malady  that  was  sap- 
ping his  existence.  In  1889,  when  South  Dakota  was 
admitted  to  Statehood,  he  was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the 
Seventh  Judicial  District  of  the  Circuit  Court,  which  posi- 
tion he  resigned  in  November,  1892,  and  in  March,  1893, 
when  in  the  prime  of  life,  as  told  by  years,  he  died. 


JUDGE    JUIIX    W.    NOWLIX. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  443 


CHAPTER     XXX. 

HORSE-STEALING  AROUND  RAPID  CITV  IN  1877. 

Perhaps  none  of  the  early  settlements  were  more  per- 
sistently harassed  by  horse-thieves  in  1877  than  Rapid 
City,  for  which  reason  its  citizens  were  disposed  to  give 
them  short  shrift  for  their  moral  and  mental  obliquity,  so 
one  dark  night  in  the  month  of  June,  1877,  three  sus- 
pected men  who  had  been  caught  were  suspended  from  the 
limb  of  a  pine  tree  standing  on  what  has  since  been  known 
as  "  Hangman's  Hill,"  a  half  mile  westof  the  town.  This 
grewsome  act  of  speedy  retribution  recalls  a  story  related  by 
one  of  the  early  settlers,  of  how  a  small  party  of  the  citizens 
of  Rapid  City,  for  about  an  hour,  dodged  bullets  from 
45-caliber  rifles  fired  by  four  horse-thieves  and  all-around 
desperadoes  one  day  in  1877,  viz:  Dune.  Blackburn, 
"  Billy  the  Kid,"  "  Laughing  Sam  "  and  one  other, 
thus:  The  four  outlaws  had  been  committing  frequent 
depredations  in  and  around  Rapid  City,  so  hearing  that 
they  were  seen  a  few  miles  from  town,  John  Brennan 
organized  a  posse  to  ride  out  in  pursuit  and  capture  them 
if  possible.  The  outlaws  were  found  near  the  outskirts  of 
the  town  when  the  exciting  chase  began.  The  road  agents 
were  mounted  ofl  swift-going  steeds  (stolen,  doubtless), 
and,  consequently,  with  the  exception  of  John  Brennan, 
Wm.  Steele,  and  a  stock  tender,  left  the  pursuing  party 
far  in  the  rear.  Brennan  was  the  only  one  of  the  three 
armed  with  a  rifle,  the  others  having  only  six-shooters. 
However,  that  made  no  difference,  they  followed  up  the 
chase,  and  got  within  shooting  distance  just  as  the  outlaws 
were  crossing  the  Box  Eider,  when  they  opened  fire  on 
4:hem,  receiving  no  reply.     Crossing  Box  Elder  the  pursuit 


444  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

was  continued  and  the  last  seen  of  the  outlaws  they  were 
disappearing  over  a  little  elevation  about  800  yards  distant 
on  Elk  creek.  Putting  spurs  to  their  horses  they  hurried 
on  to  overtake  them,  and  when  within  seventy-five  yards 
of  the  summit  of  the  hill  they  were  greeted  with  a  hail  of 
bullets,  one  of  which  penetrated  the  breast  of  Steele's 
horse;  whiz,  whiz,  went  the  leaden  missiles  past  the  heads 
of  the  pursuers;  thick  and  fast  they  came.  "Great, 
Scott !  but  they  are  big  ones  ;  hear  them  sing,"  exclaimed 
Brennan.  The  party  dismounted  and  returned  the  fire, 
but  the  outlaws,  being  under  cover  of  the  hill,  had  them  at 
a  disadvantage,  until  Brennan,  at  a  great  personal  risk, 
made  a  detour  to  the  right  and  succeeded  in  outflanking 
them  and  with  a  few  well-directed  shots  from  his  rifle,  soon 
put  the  desperadoes  to  flight.  It  was  afterwards  learned 
that  two  of  them  were  slightly  wounded. 

MINING    STAMPEDE    IN    RAPID    CITY. 

Strange  and  incredible  as  it  may  seem  to  those  who  know 
them,  Chauncey  Wood,  with  all  his  profundity  and  legal 
acumen,  and  Thomas  Sweeney,  with  all  his  business  shrewd- 
ness, were  once  upon  a  time  led  away  on  one  of  the  most 
exciting  stampedes  known  in  the  history  of  the  Black  Hills. 
Of  stampedes  in  general,  and  this  one  in  particular,  Doc. 
Peirce,  himself  one  of  the  victims,  gives  the  following 
amusing  account.  Doc.  says  :  *'  Stampedes  create  more 
excitement  in  a  mining  camp  than  any  other  cause,  and  in 
ninety-nine  cases  out  of  100  they  are  as  delusive  as  a  man's 
word  on  election  day.  I  made  just  two  of  these  nocturnal 
excursions,  on  foot,  and  ran  most  of  the  time  to  keep  up 
with  the  horsemen,  falling  over  logs  and  rocks,  and  snag- 
ging myself  on  dead  limbs. 

"  When  I  returned  from  the  second  one,  the  '  Box 
Elder'  stampede,  I  took  an  inventory  of  myself  and  dis- 
covered that  I  did  not  have  clothes  enough  on  to  flag  a 
hand-car.  My  epidermis  needed  repairing  badly,  and  as  my 
stomach  was  not  built  on  the  same   liberal  plan  as  the  one 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     445 

Dr.  Tanner  was  using,  so  I  subsided  and  went  out  in  the 
woods  in  the  daytime  and  ate  berries,  and  would  return  to 
town  at  night  to  slumber.  I  found  this  mode  of  living  gave 
me  the  necessary  exercise  for  health,  and  as  even  dried- 
apple  pies  at  that  time  sold  for  $1  each,  and  as  1  was  never 
known  to  have  a  dollar,  time  proved  that  my  system  was 
the  cheapest." 

The  most  cruel  stampede  ever  concocted  in  the  Hills  was 
the  one  to  the  Bear  Paw  mountains,  gotten  up,  it  was 
claimed,  by  "  Red"  Clark  and  others,  for  the  purpose  of 
unloading  some  old,  worn-out  saddle  and  pack-ponies.  If 
that  be  true  their  scheme  proved  a'glittering  success,  but 
not  so  with  the  poor  boys  who  made  that  trip,  for  they  suf- 
fered untold  misery,  and  more  than  one  never  lived  to  get 
back  to  Dead  wood. 

But  the  most  comical  thing  in  the  way  of  a  stampede 
happened  at  Eapid  City,  in  1889.  The  lawyers  there,  in 
those  dull  times,  were  suffering  from  ennui,  so  they  got 
up  a  stampede  just  for  excitement.  A  committee  was 
appointed  to  get  some  gold  dust  and  go  out  on  the 
Rockerville  road  and  plant  it.  The  committee  was  igno- 
rant of  formations,  and  as  they  did  not  like  to  exert  them- 
selves in  walking  out  very  far,  they  stopped  in  the  "  red 
hills  "  back  of  town  and  salted  a  gypsum  bed.  Old  Bart 
Henderson,  the  veteran  prospector  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
came  along  where  they  were  working,  and,  taking  in  the 
situation,  requested  to  be  let  in  on  the  deal.  The  boys^ 
knowing  that  Bart  knew  all  about  the  chloride  of  sodium 
act,  took  him  in  the  conspiracy,  thereby  greatly  disturbing 
the  peace  and  dignity  of  the  other  peaceable  citizens  of 
Eapid  City. 

After  performing  their  nefarious  work  the  boys  separated 
and  meandered  back  to  town,  and  commenced  to  agitate  the 
subject  of  mining.  Some  thought  the  only  way  to  save 
Rapid  City  was  for  the  citizens  to  employ  competent  pros- 
pectors and  send  them  out  with  plenty  of  grub  and  mining 
utensils,    and  see  if  they  could  not  find  another  Rocker- 


446  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    Oil, 

ville  district  closer  to  town,  and  after  considerable  talk  this 
plan  was  finally  adopted. 

Committees  were  appointed  to  raise  funds  to  pay  ex- 
penses, men  were  chosen  to  go  prospecting,  and,  of  course, 
one  of  the  boys  insisted  on  going  who  knew  where  the 
plant  was.  In  a  short  time  he  came  back  all  out  of  breath, 
with  a  panful  of  decomposed  gypsum,  and  appearing  very 
excited.  "  I  think  I  have  struck  it  right  up  there  in  that 
hill  back  of  town;  here  is  some  of  the  dirt,  let  us  go  to 
the  creek  and  wash  it  out."  Everybody  followed  ;  even 
Tom  Sweeney  took  a  lay-off  and  went  along.  They 
panned  out  the  dirt,  and  when  the  gold  dust,  which  was 
very  fine,  commenced  to  show  up  in  the  pan,  everybody 
went  wild  with  excitement.  Sweeney  ran  around  with 
his  hat  in  his  hand,  exclaiming,  "  Isn't  she  a  bird,  boys  ;  I 
tell  you,  old  Rapid  is  a  hummer:  she  is  all  right !  "  And 
during  the  excitement,  Bart  Henderson,  who  always  kept 
on  hand  a  few  choice  nuggets  for  specimens,  asked  per- 
mission to  pan  a  while,  and  as  he  was  the  chief  in  that  line, 
the  boys  readily  assented,  and  that  was  where  they  let  the 
bars  down,  for  Bart  had  a  nugget  in  hand  about  the  size  of 
a  hickory  nut,  and  while  he  was  splashing  the  water  around 
in  the  pan,  he  gently  let  the  nugget  slide  in  with  the  other 
gold.  It  was  not  Ions:  l)efore  old  man  Chase  discovered 
the  big  chunk,  and  such  a  yell  as  went  up  from  that  crowd  ! 
Henderson  claimed  the  nugget,  as  he  had  panned  it  out. 
The  boys  who  had  put  up  the  job  drew  off  to  one  side  and 
spoke  low.  "  Boys,"  whispered  Chauncey  \Yood,  "  we 
never  put  in  that  big  chunk,  she  is  there  as  true  as  gospel, 
let  us  get  up  there  quick  before  the  mob  goes,  and  stake 
our  claims."  "I'll  go  you,"  says  Sweeney;  and  they 
started  on  the  run,  and  such  a  scramble  was  never  seen 
before  or  since  in  the  Black  Hills.  Men,  women,  and 
children  went  daft.  Chauncey  was  not  in  condition  to  run 
over  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  but  Sweeney  urged  him  on  by 
saying:  "It  is  the  chance  of  a  lifetime,  old  son,  hurry 
up." 


LAST    HUNTING  GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  447 

When  they  arrived  at  the  phice  where  the  plant  was, 
Chauncey  got  a  stake  and  commenced  writing  a  mining 
notice.  Sweeney  had  never  been  in  the  mines,  so  he  was 
not  acquainted  with  the  form  used,  but  stood  looking  on, 
and  when  he  read  the  words  :  "I  claim  300  feet  up  this  hill 
for  mining  purposes,"  yelled  out,  "For  God's  sake  don't 
take  it  all."  Chauncey  arose  very  dignified  and,  striking 
the  proper  attitude  for  effect,  said,  "Tom,  if  you  say 
another  word,  1  will  take  160  acres."  "  Fire  away,  old 
son,"  replied  Sweeney.  "  Take  all  you  want  but  leave  me 
a  slice  of  this  melon."  By  this  time  the  crowd  had  arrived, 
and  they  soon  staked  the  whole  country.  A  wag  in  the 
party,  who  did  not  find  anything  else  to  stake,  blazed  a 
large  pine  tree,  and  wrote  the  following  notice  upon  it: 
"  I  hereby  claim  300  feet  up  this  tree  for  climbing  pur- 
poses,—  also  claim  all  knots,  limbs,  woodpecker  holes, 
etc.,  for  working  purposes,  and  all  jumpers  are  hereby 
warned  not  to  meddle  with  this  claim  in  any  manner,  for 
if  they  do  this  tree  will  be  used  for  a  head-tone."  That 
last  line  settled  it,  for  it  is  safe  to  say  that  at  least  a  dozen 
of  otherwise  intelligent  men  stopped,  read  that  notice  and 
rode  on,  and  don't  know  to  this  day  that  it  was  meaning- 
less.    Thus  the  salter  was  salted. 


448  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR 


CHAPTEE     XXXI. 

HILL  CITY. 

The  story  of  the  rise  and  tlecline  of  the  many  early 
booming  camps  of  Pennington  County,  in  which  there  is 
something  almost  pathetic,  may  be  briefly  told.  Hill  City, 
the  first  of  these  and  the  second  oldest  mining  camp  in  the 
Black  Hills,  Custer  antedating  it  by  only  a  few  months, 
was  laid  out  by  Thos.  Harvey,  John  Miller,  Hugh  McCul- 
lough,  and  others,  in  February,  1876.  Good  prospects  had 
been  found  in  the  gulches  and  bars  along  Spring  creek 
during  the  summer  and  fall  of  1875,  when  the  miners  were 
being  harassed  to  the  point  of  desperation  by  Uncle  Sam's 
blue  coats,  and  on  the  opening  of  placer  operations  in  the 
spring  of  1876,  the  camp  suddenly  grew  into  a  booming 
town.  About  two  score  of  substantial  log  cabins  were 
hastily  erected  and  numerous  tents  were  sandwiched  in 
between  or  scattered  thickly  over  the  site. 

About  the  first  of  May,  when  Hill  City's  future  seemed 
assured,  glowing  reports  of  the  rich  diggings  in  Deadwood 
gulch  came  floating  down  with  the  north  wind,  when  the 
miners  on  Spring  creek  individually  and  in  groups  hastily 
packed  their  burros  with  blankets,  mining  implements, 
etc.,  or  shouldered  them  according  to  circumstances,  and 
made  their  way  over  the  hills  to  the  new  golden  Mecca, 
leaving  Hill  City  by  the  middle  of  May  as  deserted  as  a 
graveyard  —  only  one  man  and  a  dog  remaining  to  tell  the 
story  of  its  desertion.  This  closes  the  first  short  chapter 
of  its  history. 

Subsequently,  some  returned  to  their  first  love,  others 
came,  and  considerable  placer  mining  was  done  on  Spring 
creek,  Newton's  Fork,  and  other  branches  of  Spring  creek. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


449 


and  a  number  of  ranches  were  located  in  its  broad  fertile 
valley.  During  the  few  succeeding  years  much  prospect- 
ing was  done  for  quartz  within  a  radius  of  live  or  six  miles 
of  Hill  City,  and  a  number  of  exceedingly  rich  gold  ledges 
were  discovered,  and  to  a  more  or  less  extent  developed, 
among  which   were  the  Grizzly    Bear,   the  St.  Elmo,  the 


HILL   CITY   IN    1876. 

Bengal  Tiger,   the  King  Solomon,  The    Golden    Summit, 
and  others. 

The  Grizzly  Bear  mine,  situated  about  four  miles  south- 
west of  Hill  City  and  within  a  short  distance  of  Harney's 
Peak,  was  discovered  in  1879  by  Messrs.  Cook,  Rogers, 
and  Barber.  The  discoverers  afterwards  sold  to  Messrs. 
Miller  and  Mather,  of  Deadwood,  who  ejected  a  twenty- 
stamp  mill  on   the  property,  which  finally   came  into  the 

29 


450  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

possession  of  Louis  Florman,  of  Hill  City.  The  property 
is  now  leased  to  Geo.  Beitchey,  of  Sheridan.  The  Grizzly 
Bear  has  since  the  erection  of  the  mill  been  a  producing 
mine,  and  is  considered  among  the  best  in  that  region  of 
the  Hills. 

The  St.  Elmo  gold  mine  is  located  in  Sunday  gulch,  a 
branch  of  Spring  creek,  about  four  miles  south  of  Hill 
City.  This  mine  was  discovered  by  B.  Wood  and  J. 
Bishop  in  1880.  In  1881  the  property  was  purchased  by 
G.  Kimball  and  O.  B.  Elliott,  who  commenced  the  erection 
of  a  five-stamp  mill.  In  1883  a  third  interest  in  the  mine 
was  sold  to  J.  C.  McDonald  and  Wm.  T.  Jewett,  when  the 
mill  was  completed  and  put  in  operation,  but  during  the 
same  year  was  sold  to  Deadwood  parties,  who  have  oper- 
ated the  mill,  though  not  continuously,  since.  The  mine  is 
regarded  by  experts  as  a  first-class  mine;  the  ore,  which  is 
for  the  most  part  free-milling,  assays  an  average  of  $11.50 
in  gold  per  ton. 

About  two  and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Hill  City  is 
located  the  Bengal  Tiger  gold  mine,  discovered  about 
1878  by  B.  Gibson,  and  later  owned  by  a  Mr.  Long  of 
Philadelphia,  Penn.  This  mine  developed  a  wonderfully 
rich  streak  of  gold-bearing  quartz,  which  was  soon  lost  in 
the  larger  deposit  of  low  grade  ore.  Hoisting  machinery 
was  operated  at  the  mine,  but  no  mill  was  erected.  About 
twelve  years  ago  the  Bengal  Tiger  withdrew  to  his  native 
jungles,  and  has  not  since  been  heard  of. 

The  King  Solomon,  situated  about  six  miles  northwest 
of  Hill  City,  was  located  in  1878  or  1879.  The  King  Sol- 
omon Company  erected  a  fifteen-stamp  mill  on  the  prop- 
erty, which,  after  running  a  few  months,  was  closed  down, 
and  later  the  machinery  was  moved  away.  The  mill  and 
other  buildings  erected  on  the  property  were  also  torn 
down  and  the  lumber  sold  to  different  parties.  A  little 
hamlet  of  log  cabins  grew  up  near  by  on  the  strength  of 
these  operations,  and  was  christened  Tigerville,  after  the 
great  Bengal  Tiger  mine.     It  is  to-day  only  a  memory. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  451 

Among  the  men  who  figured  prominently  in  connection 
with  the  King  Solomon  mine  was  Prof.  A.  L.  Dickerman, 
who  superintended  operations,  and  was  regarded  as  a  very 
competent  geologist  and  mineralogist.  The  mine  is  yet 
believed  to  be  very  rich. 

The  Golden  Summit  mine  was  discovered  about  1879  by 
Henry  Schenck  of  Sheridan,  but  is  now  owned  by  a  Cedar 
Rapids  company.  A  thirty-stamp  mill  was  erected  on  the 
property,  which  ran  about  three  years,  when  operations 
closed.  This  mine  also  produced  some  marvelously  rich 
specimens  of  free  gold. 

Although  these  mining  enterprises  resulted  in  the  build- 
ing up  of  a  settlement  at  Hill  City,  its  fortunes  were 
extremely  vacillating  until  1883,  when  the  discovery  of 
tin  in  the  vicinity  brought  it  into  sudden  and  wide  promi- 
nence. From  that  time  the  history  of  the  tin  industry 
and  Hill  City  —  its  base  of  operations  — are  closely  inter- 
woven. 

Every  one,  at  least  almost  everyone,  knows  that,  up 
to  that  time,  the  mineral  known  as  tin  was  exclusively  a 
foreign  product,  while  its  use  in  the  United  States  was 
very  extensive,  and  the  commodity  expensive,  conse- 
quently its  discovery  in  the  Black  Hills  caused  a  furore  of 
excitement  in  the  region  round  about  the  great  grranite 
uplift,  where  it  was  found,  and  a  widespread  interest 
throughout    this  and  other  countries. 

The  revelation  of  the  existence  of  tin  in  the  Hills,  as 
great  discoveries  oftentimes  do,  came  accidentally, —  or 
perhaps  it  were  better  to  say,  incidentally.  The  first  dis- 
covery is  claimed  to  have  been  made  by  Dr.  S.  H.  Fergu- 
son in  what  is  known  as  the  "  Etta  Mine,"  which  is  situated 
near  the  summit  of  a  granite  uplift,  rising  some  200  feet 
above  Grizzly  creek,  which  discharges  its  waters  —  when 
it  has  any  —  into  Battle  creek  —  six  miles  east  of  Harney 
Peak,  in  Pennington  County.  The  Etta  mine  was  located 
by  Dr.  S.  H.  Ferguson  and  L.  W.  McDonald  in  March, 
1883,  as  a    mica  mine.     In  working  the  mine,  they    dis- 


452  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

covered  in  the  block  ore,  the  presence  of  a  mineral,  the 
nature  and  value  of  which  they  were  unable  to  determine  ; 
so  finally  a  test  was  made  by  inelting  a  small  quantity  of 
the  ore  in  a  common  forge,  w4iich  resulted  in  producing  a 
substance  which  was  at  first  supposed  to  be  silver.  To 
determine  more  fully,  a  piece  of  the  ore  was  sent  to  Prof. 
Hubrecken,  of  Quincy,  III.,  who  at  once  pronounced  it  tin. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  Prof.  Jenny  stated  in  1875  that 
the  Black  Hills  showed  the  best  indications  of  tin  he  had 
seen  in  this  country,  and  that  it  ought  to  be  found  there. 

According  to  reliable  information,  the  first  public  an- 
nouncement of  the  discovery  of  tin  in  the  Hills  was  made 
by  Major  A.  J.  Simmons,  then  of  Rapid  City,  but  now 
of  Deadwood,  in  an  article  on  the  subject,  published  in  the 
Rapid  City  Journal  of  June  7th,  1883,  in  which  he  says  : 
"  The  indications  already  point  to  the  existence  of  an 
extensive  district  of  the  mineral."  In  reference  to  the 
discovery  Prof.  Wm.  Blake  says:  "  The  discovery  of  tin 
ore  in  the  Black  Hills  of  Dakota  Territory  may  be  said  to 
have  been  complete  on  the  7th  of  Jnne,  1883,  when  a 
sample,  which  had  been  forwarded  by  Capt.  A.  J.  Simmons, 
of  Rapid  City,  to  Gen.  Gashwiler,  of  San  Francisco,  was 
submitted  to  me  far  determination." 

In  July,  1883,  Prof.  Blake  visited  the  Hills  and  made  a 
careful  examination  of  the  deposit,  taking  specimens  of 
the  rock  away  for  assaying  purposes,  and,  in  view  of  the 
suspension  of  the  tin  mining  industry  in  the  Black  Hills  it 
may  be  interesting  to  note  his  opinion  of  the  value  of  the 
deposit  at  the  time  of  its  discovery. 

In  a  series  of  articles,  published  in  the  New  York  Mining 
Journal^  Prof.  Blake  says:  "The  showing  of  tin  in  the 
Black  Hills  is  remarkable,  exceeding  anything  I  have  ever 
seen,  giving  a  far  better  percentage  of  pure  tin  than  any 
other  mines  in  the  world;"  and,  further,  says:  "The 
assay  shows  results  varying  from  five  to  forty  per  cent,  and 
there  seems  to  be  a  vast  body  of  tin-bearing  rock  in  sight." 

Indeed,  a  look  at  the  Etta  mine  in  1883,  would  indicate 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  453 

an  inexhaustible  body  of  that  precious  mioeral.  The  walls 
in  the  cut  in  the  mountain  side,  which  was  about  twenty 
feet  vertically  and  horizontally,  showed  a  vast  body  of  the 
blocks  of  mica  of  various  colors,  mixed  with  quartz,  and 
the  whole  slope  of  the  hill  glittered  with  mica,  thrown  out 
from  the  excavation. 

In  August  of  the  same  year,  the  "  Nickel  Plate  "  mine, 
situated  about  eighty  rods  east  of  the  Etta,  was  discovered. 
This  mine  showed  assays  of  forty-one  and  two-thirds  per 
cent  tin,  and  seven  and  one-htdf  per  cent  nickel  and  cobalt; 
the  nickel  crystals  in  the  mine  giving  twenty-five  per  cent 
pure  nickel. 

The  Etta  mine  was  first  owned  by  Dr.  S.  H.  Ferguson, 
B.  W.  McDonald,  A.  J.  Simmons,  and  Alexander  Medill, 
and  the  "Nickel  Plate"  by  Dr.  S.  A.  Ferguson,  B.  W. 
McDonald,  and  Messrs.  Cunningham  and  Smith, 

About  the  same  time  another  promising  discovery  was 
made  on  the  north  slope  of  Harney's  Peak,  by  R.  P. 
Wheelock  and  Rob't  Florman.  At  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tain on  which  this  discovery  was  made,. on  Palmer's  gulch, 
splendid  specimens  of  stream  tin  were  found. 

In  the  fall  of  1883,  a  stock  company  was  formed  for 
working  the  mine,  of  which  Rob't  Florman  was  president; 
J.  S.  Gantz,  secretary;  Milton  Frease,  treasurer ;  and  R. 
P.  Wheelock,  A.  P.  Sterling,  Wm.  Lewis,  Wm.  McMurtrie, 
Richard  B.  Hughes,  Rufus  Madison,  J.  H.  Lewis,  and  Wnl. 
Rosen baum,  members. 

In  the  fall  of  1883  a  representative  of  English  capital- 
ists visited  the  Hills,  and  made  a  thorough  examination  of 
the  tin  deposits  around  Harney's  Peak,  reporting  to  his 
employers  in  glowing  terms  of  their  abundance  and  rich- 
ness. Subsequently,  a  powerful  corporation  of  American 
and  English  stockholders  was  formed  under  the  name  of 
the  Harney  Peak  Consolic^ated  Tin  Company,  which  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  buy  up  nearly  everything  looking  like 
tin  in  sight,  until  the  combination  controlled  a  large  per 
cent  of  the  tin  deposits  in  the  Black  Hills.     It  is  stated 


454  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

that  the  company  have  on  record  in  Pennington  and  Cus- 
ter Counties,  over  1,100  mining  locations,  nearly  5,000 
acres  of  placer  ground,  and  a  number  of  valuable  water 
rights  along  the  line  of  the  tin  belt.  It  is  estimated  that 
the  company  has  expended  $2,000,000  in  the  purchase  and 
development  of  properties,  and  the  erection  of  plants  for 
the  reduction  of  ore. 

In  1891  the  company  commenced  the  erection  of  a 
large  plant  for  the  reduction  of  ore  near  Hill  City.  This 
plant,  which  was  finished  in  1892,  was  provided  with  the 
most  approved  machinery  for  the  treatment  of  ores,  and  is 
conceded  by  those  competent  to  judge  to  be,  both  in  con- 
struction and  equij^ment,  the  most  complete  plant  of  the 
kind  ever  erected  in  the  Black  Hills.  In  November,  1892, 
the  machinery  was  set  in  motion  and  continued  to  run  with- 
out friction,  and  with  satisfactory  results  as  far  as  known, 
for  a  period  of  two  months,  when  the  works  were  tempo- 
rarily (?)  closed  down,  pending  the  adjustment  of  certain 
complications  between  the  American  and  foreign  stock- 
holders. Why  it  has  taken  more  than  five  years  to  adjust 
these  differences,  is  a  problem  which  the  people  of  the 
Black  Hills  at  large  would  like  to  see  solved. 

The  natural  depression  caused  by  the  closing  of  its  chief 
industry  was  severely  felt  by  Hill  City,  but  its  people 
have  never  yet  lost  faith  in  its  ultimate  revival,  and  the 
consequent  prosperity  of  the  town.  However,  Hill  City  is 
by  no  means  wholly  dependent  upon  tin  for  its  continuance 
as  a  town,  as  there  are  numerous  promising  gold  ledges  in 
the  vicinity  that  are  being  rapidly  developed,  among  which 
are  the  "Tea,"  "  Dolcode,"  "Golden  Slipper,"  "  New 
Eldorado,"  and  other  lodes  whose  ores  have  been  treated  at 
the  J.  R.  Mill,  about  three  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of 
Hill  City  and  found  to  be  rich.  About  three  miles  north 
of  Hill  City  on  Newton's  Fork  is  the  Sunny  Side  mine 
which  has  proven  to  be  a  veritable  bonanza.  This  mine 
was  discovered  by  Geo.  Coats  of  Hill  City  in  1895  or  1896, 
but  is  now  owned  in  whole  or  in  part  by  the  Holy  Terror 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  455 

Gold  Mining  Co.,  which  runs  a  night  and  day  shaft,  em- 
ploying about  thirty  men.  There  are  hoisting  works  at 
the  mine,  and  the  company  contemplate  the  erection  of 
reduction  works  in  the  near  future.  The  ore  is  claimed  to 
be  very  rich. 

QUEEN    BEE. 

Queen  Bee,  a  small  mining  camp,  situated  about  four 
miles  north  of  Tigerville,  on  a  branch  of  Slate  creek, 
dates  its  origin  from  the  discovery  of  what  is  known  as 
the  Queen  Bee  gold  mine,  which  was  located  by  F.  H. 
Griffin  in  1879.  Later,  other  locations  were  made  known 
as  Queen  Bee  No.  2,  New  Holland,  and  New  Holland  No. 
2  —  extensions  of  the  original  claim. 

In  the  spring  of  1880,  Mr.  Griffin  bonded  the  property 
for  $125,000.00  to  J.  I.  Case  of  Racine,  Wisconsin,  who 
developed  the  property  for  about  two  months,  when  the 
work  was  discontinued.  Subsequently  Mr.  Hall  became 
interested  in  the  property  with  Mr.  Griffin,  when  they  pur- 
chased machinery  for  a  ten-stamp  mill,  of  Fred  Evans  and 
E.  Loveland,  and  built  the  Queen  Bee  mill  which  was 
operated  for  two  months,  when  it  closed  for  the  winter. 
During  the  winter  the  property  was  bonded  to  Chicago 
parties  for  $55,000,  but  nothing  came  of  the  transaction. 
In  1881  it  was  sold  to  Col.  D.  Boyce  of  Chicago,  for  the 
Michigan  Southern  Railway  Co.,  which  after  expending 
several  hundred  dollars  on  the  property,  deeded  it  back  to 
the  original  owners.  In  1882  a  two-third  interest  was  sold 
to  Edwin  Loveland  and  Jas.  Jacoby  of  Rapid  City,  who 
added  five  stamps  to  the  naill  and  built  a  tramway  from  the 
mill  to  the  mine. 

SHERIDAN. 

A  half-dozen  dilapidated  log  cabins,  in  various  stages  of 
decay,  relieved  by  two  or  three  comfortable  farm-houses 
and  a  little  log  schoolhouse,  is  all  that  remains  of  the 
once   flourishing   town    of    Sheridan.     Beautifully  located 


456  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

ill  a  wide  basin  in  the  valley  of  Spring  creek  is  Sheridan, 
the  first  capital  of  Pennington  County.  In  point  of  age, 
it  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  third  town  located  in 
the  Black  Hills,  it  having  been  laid  out  in  the  fall  of  1875, 
and  first  called  "  Golden,"  which  was  afterwards  changed 
to  its  present  name,  given  in  honor  of  the  famous  cavalry 
oflBcer,  Gen.  Phil.  Sheridan. 

Among  the  first  to  reach  the  site  of  Sheridan  were 
Andrew  J.  Williams,  Ernest  Barthold,  John  W.  Allen,  A. 
J.  Carlin,  Ed.  Flaherty,  Frank  Bethune,  Wm.  Marsten, 
Ezekiel  Brown,  and  Deacon  Willard,  who  reached  that  point 
in  July,  1875,  about  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  exploring 
party  under  Professor  Jenny. 

The  first  gold  discovery  was  made  on  July  18th  by  A.  J. 
Williams  who,  it  is  claimed,  washed  $2.00  from  one  pan  of 
gravel  taken  from  Stand-off  bar. 

'  On  the  morning  after  his  rich  find  he  staked  his  claim 
and  then  rode  away  post-haste  to  Custer  to  notify  his 
partners,  who  were  washing  out  gold  on  French  creek,  of 
his  good  fortune.  On  his  return  with  his  five  partners  he 
found  his  claim  jumped,  and  moreover  nearly  the  whole 
bar  staked  off  and  taken.  At  a  subsequent  miners'  meeting, 
however,  his  claim  was  restored  to  him.  In  August  the 
miners  were  ordered  out  of  the  Hills  by  Gen.  Crook  but, 
before  the  middle  of  October,  they  were  all  back  working 
on  their  claims. 

Soon  after  a  party  from  Montana  arrived  and  staked  off 
the  lower  end  of  the  bar,  and  called  it  "  Montana"  bar, 
from  which,  during  the  first  week,  they  washed  out  $3,000 
in  gold,  including  a  nugget  valued  at  $23.00.  On  finding 
bed-rock  pitching  into  the  channel  of  the  creek,  the  ground 
was  soon  after  abandoned.  Among  this  Montana  party 
were  Fred  Cruse,  E.  Davis,  Chas.  Spencer,  Jas.  Hayward, 
and  John  Norton. 

During  the  summer  of  1876  the  population  of  Sheridan 
grew  rapidly  and  log  cabins  went  up  on  every  hand.  To 
keep  the  Indians,  who  were  very  troublesome  in  that  local- 


o; 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  457 

ity,  at  a  respectful  distance,  many  of  the  cabins  erected 
were  provided  with  portholes,  after  the  style  of  frontier 
block  houses.  Very  few  settlements,  no  matter  how 
secluded  the  spot,  escaped  the  keen  vision  of  the  redskins 
in  1876,  especially  if  there  chanced  to  be  any  horses 
picketed  around.  The  noble  red  man  had  a  wonderful 
penchant  for  the  horses  of  the  pale-faces  in  those  days,  to 
gratify  which  they  one  day  captured  and  run  off  thirty- 
two  horses  belongins;  to  the  settlers  of  Sheridan  at  one  fell 
swoop. 

As  Sheridan  gave  promise  of  being  the  future  town  of 
the  Central  Hills,  the  county  commissioners  at  their  first 
session  held  at  Rapid  City  in  April,  1877,  made  it  the  tem- 
porary count}^  seat  of  Pennington  County.  It  was  also 
designated  as  the  location  of  the  United  States  Land  Office 
in  March,  1877,  which,  however,  was  removed  to  Deadwood 
in  the  following  May.  In  October,  1877,  the  first  term  of 
the  Black  Hills  Circuit  Court  was  held  at  Sheridan,  the 
Hon.  Granville  G.  Bennett  presiding.  The  court  convened 
in  a  large  log  building,  which  stood  until  1895,  when  the 
old  landmark  was  burned  to  the  ground.  It  is  told  that 
several  attorneys  from  Deadwood  were  present  at  the 
opening  session  of  court,  and  that  sleeping  accommodations 
being  scarce,  they  were  compelled  to  sleep  upon  the  floor 
of  the  log  courthouse,  which  really  was  nothing  remarkable 
in  those  days.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  they  should  have 
thought  themselves  fortunate  in  being  able  to  secure  even 
floor  space  for  sleeping. 

Near  Sheridan,  on  the  south  side  of  Spring  creek,  is 
located  the  one-time  famous  Blue  Lead  quartz  mines,  four 
in  number,  formerly  known  as  the  Blue  Wing,  Gray  Eagle, 
Strader,  and  Fraction  Lodes.  These  mines,  which  were  at 
one  time  considered  very  valuable,  were  bonded  to  an  En- 
glish syndicate  for  $100,000,  but  the  deal  fell  through 
because  the  ore  was  thought  to  be  refractory.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  for  several  years  nothing  has  been  done  with 
the  property  further  than  legal  development  work. 


458  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

About  three  and  a  half  miles  above  Sheridan,  on  Spring 
creek,  is  located  the  J.  E,.  Mine,  owned  by  F.  C.  Crocker. 
A  300-foot  shaft  has  been  sunk  on  this  mine,  and  the  ore 
is  reputed  to  be  exceedingly  rich.  A  stamp  mill  has  been 
in  successful  operation  on  the  property  for  several  years. 

ROCHFORD. 

In  between  exceedingly  wild  and  rugged  hills,  that  rise 
far  above  the  ocean's  level,  about  twenty-five  miles  by  the 
traveled  road,  northerly  from  Hill  City  on  the  line  of  the 
Burlington  &  Missouri  Railway,  may  be  found  the  town 
known  by  the  musical  name  of  Rochford.  It  contains 
about  two  score  or  more  tenantless  and  sadly  demoralized 
structures  of  various  patterns,  log  and  frame,  dotted  here 
and  there  with  less  than  a  baker's  dozen  of  the  comfort- 
able homes  of  a  few  who  tenaciously  adhere  to  the  belief 
that  Rochford  and  the  region  round  about  has  a  bright  and 
glorious  future. 

Rochford  has  two  hotels,  supported  mainly  by  the  travel- 
ing public;  two  stores  of  general  merchandise,  and  one 
saloon.  It  also  has  one  disciple  of  Esculapius,  who,  as  oc- 
casion requires,  administers  to  the  physical  ailments  of  the 
little  community;  and  a  good  school.  Rochford  was  not 
always  as  it  is  now.  There  was  a  time  when  its  narrow 
streets  were  thronged  with  excited  miners;  when,  instead 
of  two  score,  there  were  two  hundred  or  more  structures 
lining  the  street,  and  a  population  of  more  than  five  hun- 
dred souls. 

Rochford  owes  its  existence  on  the  map  of  the  Black 
Hills  wholly  to  the  discovery  and  development  of  its  quartz 
mines,  and  this  is  the  way  it  was  brought  about:  — 
One  day  in  August,  1876,  M.  D.  Rochford,  Richard  B. 
Hughes,  and  Wm.  Van  Fleet,  left  Deadwoodfor  the  central 
hills  on  a  hunting  excursion,  and  while  looking  for  game 
one  of  the  party  picked  up,  on  Montezuma  hill,  what  proved 
to  be  a  tine  specimen  of  gold-bearing  rock.  Nothing  was 
done    towards    development,    however,    until    February, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  459 

1877,  when  Messrs.  Rochford  and  Hughes  again  visited  the 
valley  of  Little  Rapid  creek,  Joe  McKirihan,  afterward 
the  owner  of  the  Evangeline  mine,  on  Irish  gulch,  accom- 
panying them.  In  the  meantime  a  couple  of  men  had  been 
at  work  in  the  vicinitv  during  the  winter. 

In  March,  1877,  a  party  of  miners  from  Castle  creek 
arrived,  and  numerous  locations  were  made  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  first  discovery,  when  a  mining  district  was  organized, 
of  which  Jas.  Morrison  was  elected  recorder.  During  the 
year  1877  many  locations  were  made  in  the  hills  bordering 
on  Little  Rapid  creek  by  prospectors  from  Lead  and  Cen- 
tral, among  which  was  the  "  Stand-by,"  by  Rochford, 
Nyswanger  &  Co.,  and  the  "  Fort  Wayne,"  by  A.  P.  Rep- 
pert. 

The  first  building  on  the  site  where  Rochford  stands  was 
erected  by  M.  S.  Hughes.  The  meeting  for  the  town 
organization  was  held  in  Hughes'  cabin  in  May,  1878,  when 
the  town  was  named  Rochford,  in  honor  of  M.  D.  Rochford, 
one  of  the  first  discoverers  of  gold  in  that  region.  From 
that  time  there  was  such  a  great  rush  to  these  quartz  mines 
that  Rochford,  in  the  fall  of  1878,  was  a  booming  camp, 
one  of  the  liveliest  in  the  Hills.  In  December  of  that  year 
Rochford  contained  five  hundred  people  and  the  camp  a 
population  of  one  thousand. 

In  1879  two  twenty-stamp  mills  were  erected  in  the 
district,  one  at  the  Evangeline,  on  Irish  gulch;  the  other 
at  the  Minnesota  mine,  on  Silver  creek,  both  within  the 
lines  of  Lawrence  County. 

About  the  same  time  a  company  was  formed  which  pur- 
chased the  Stand-By  mine,  and  expended  large  sums  in  the 
construction  of  a  ditch  and  flume,  and  what  was  at  the 
time  considered  a  fine  dwelling,  called  "  The  Mansion,"  for 
the  use  of  the  officers  of  the  company.  Subsequently  a 
forty-stamp  mill  was  erected  and  put  in  operation  at  the 
mine,  under  the  management  of  A.  J.  Simmons,  one  of  the 
stockholders,  but  after  running  for  a  short  time  the  mill 
closed  down,  first  for  farther  development  of  the  mine,  and 


460 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


finally  for  »ood,  because  the  ore  failed  to  pay.  It  has 
clearly  and  often  been  demonstrated  that  no  low  grade  ore 
will  pay  unless  operated  on  a  large  scale. 


ROCHFORD   AT   THE    BEGINNING   OF   THE    BOOM   IN    1878. 


The  subsequent  history  of  that  once  famous  mine  is  a 
complex  one,  frequently  changing  management,  and  run- 
ning spasmodically.  The  mill  and  machinery  were  once 
sold  for  taxes  levied  by  Pennington  County,  when  the  prop- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  461 

erty  fell  into  the  possession  of  John  Rochford  on  tax  sale. 
It  is  now  controlled  by  the  Apex  Consolidated  Mining  & 
Milling  Co.,  a  corporation  composed  mostly  of  Rapid  City 
gentlemen. 

Another  mine  that  failed  to  pay  was  the  Alta  Lodi  mine, 
situated  at  the  head  of  Smith's  canyon  about  three  miles 
southwest  of  Rochford.  A  company  organized  in  Red 
Oak,  Iowa,  erected  a  twenty-stamp  mill  on  the  property 
which,  after  running  a  few  months,  permanently  closed 
operations.  In  1883  the  mill  was  purchased  by  Messrs. 
Robinson,  Havvgood  &  Hoskius  of  Lead  City,  and  removed 
by  them  to  Lookout,  about  six  miles  south  of  Rochford, 
where  it  was  operated  for  a  time  on  the  Lookout  mine.  In 
1887  it  was  bought  by  Col.  M.  H.  Day,  and  operated  by  a 
company  known  as  the  Blossom  Mining  Co.  on  the  Look- 
out and  Spread  Eagle  mines,  owned  by  Hooper  &  Avers. 
The  stamps  of  the  Alta  Lodi  mill  have  for  several  years 
been  hung  up. 

Strangely  enough,  a  tive-stamp  Huntington  mill  is  now 
being  operated  on  the  old  Alti  Lodi  mine  by  Jas.  Coch- 
rane, who  is  taking  out  good  ore  and  making  money. 
Another  speculation  that  failed  in  the  Rochford  district  is 
the  Montana  mine,  situated  above  the  head  of  Irish  gulch, 
discovered  by  Chas.  L.  Dunphy.  In  1890  a  forty-stamp 
mill  was  built  at  the  mine  by  Geo.  G.  Smith  and  others  of 
New  Hampshire,  under  the  name  of  the  Gregory  Gold 
Mining  Co.  at  a  cost  of  $160,000  on  mine  and  mill,  but 
after  running  about  two  months  the  mill  closed  and  has 
since  been  idle.  Despite  all  these  failures,  there  are  mill- 
ions of  ofold  hidden  in  the  rusrged  hills  of  the  Rochford 
district,  awaiting  development  and  discreet  management. 

Now  while  it  may  seem  unnecessary  to  record  these  many 
failures  of  mining  enterprises  in  the  central  and  southern 
Hills,  let  it  be  remembered  that  the  province  of  history  is 
to  relate  facts,  and  the  real  facts  are,  that  nine-tenths  of 
the  stamp  mills  erected  throughout  the  Hills  during  the 
early   years  of   their  quartz-mining  history  were   failures 


462  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

and  a  detriment  to  the  reputation  of  the  entire  Black  Hills, 
and  more,  their  erections  were  stupendous  blunders  on  the 
part  of  mine  owners  and  mine  operators. 

Let  it  not  be  inferred,  however,  that  because  of  the 
failure  of  these  stamp  mills,  the  mines  upon  which  they 
operated  are  worthless,  as  quite  the  reverse  is  the  truth.  It 
nas  been  ascertained,  upon  inquiry,  as  well  as  upon  un- 
questionable authority,  that  the  ores  of  the  major  part  of 
the  mines  where  failures  have  occurred,  when  submitted  to 
scientific  chemical  tests,  have  assayed  from  five  to  fifteen 
and  twenty  dollars  per  ton  of  ore — else  no  stamp  mills 
would  have  been  erected.  Then,  why  did  they  fail  to  pay? 
The  reasonable  and  los^ical  deduction  is  that  the  ores  being- 
only  in  part  free  milling,  refused  to  yield  to  the  amalgamat- 
ing process,  and  therefore  could  not  possibly  pay  operation 
on  a  small  scale.  Could  the  great  Homestake  mine  be  made 
to  pay  if  operated  upon  with  a  twenty  or  forty-stamp  mill 
without  even  concentrating  machinery  attached?  And 
indeed,  what  would  the  numerous  other  properties  in  the 
northern  Hills  that  are  paying  so  richly  to -day  amount  to 
without  their  'smelting,  chlorinating,  and  cyanide  plants? 
When  capital  is  willing  to  invest  several  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars,  in  similar  enterprises,  in  the  central  and 
southern  Hills,  these  abandoned  properties  will  also  pay. 
Moral.  Never  erect  a  small  stamp  mill  on  a  low  grade 
mine. 

PACTOLA. 

Few  of  the  early  settlements  of  the  Black  Hills  have  a 
more  interesting  history  than  Pactola,  on  Kapid  creek. 
When  Gen.  Crook  encamped  with  a  force  of  cavalry  in 
that  wide,  beautiful  basin  in  the  valley  of  that  swiftly 
flowing  stream  in  the  summer  of  1875,  it  was  named 
"  Camp  Crook,"  in  honor  of  that  gallant  officer.  Camp 
Crook  was  one  of  the  earliest  mining  camps  of  the  Hills, 
gold  having  been  discovered  there  in  July,  1875,  shortly 
after  the  settlement  of  Custer.     The  discoverers  at  once 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  463 

organized  a  mining  district,  calling  it  the  Rapid  Creek  Min- 
ing District,  and  elected  as  recorder  a  Mr.  Watts,  who, 
when  the  miners  were  removed  from  the  Hills  in  August, 
was  left  to  look  after  the  claims  during  the  absence  of 
their  owners.  These  soon  returned,  and  many  others  with 
them,  but  in  February,  1876,  when  the  great  hegira  began 
to  move  toward  Dead  wood,  Camp  Crook  lost  a  large  per- 
centage of  its  population.  However,  many  remained,  else 
those  who  left  soon  returned,  as  when  Jas.  C.  Sherman, 
one  of  the  founders  of  Pactola,  arrived  with  his  party  in 
March,  1876,  a  large  number  of  miners  were  found  work- 
ing on  claims  on  Rapid  creek  in  that  vicinity. 

Mr.  Sherman,  to  whom  more  than  to  any  other  person 
Pactola  owes  its  existence  to-day,  left  Yankton  with  a 
train  of  eighty  men  and  twenty  teams  on  the  22d  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1876,  and,  after  encountering  storms,  such  as  the 
plains  of  Dakota  at  that  season  of  the  year  only  knows, 
and  many  hardships,  arrived  on  March  19th,  at  Custer, 
where  the  party  broke  up  and  scattered  through  the  Hills. 

Mr.  Sherman  with  nine  of  the  party,  among  whom  were 
B.  B.  Benedict,  L.  Smith,  P.  Davis,  W.  S.  Lent,  and  four 
others,  started  for  Dead  wood,  but  were  caught  in  the  icy 
teeth  of  a  terrific  snowstorm  at  Camp  Crook,  where,  upon 
being  assured  that  the  indications  for  placer  diggings  were 
excellent  on  Rapid  creek,  equal  to  those  farther  north, 
they  decided  to  remain,  and,  as  far  as  Mr.  Sherman  is 
concerned,  he  did  remain  and  is  there  yet. 

Nearly  all  the  ground  for  quite  a  distance  up  and  down 
Rapid  creek  was  found  taken,  and  great  excitement  pre- 
vailed in  the  camp  among  the  miners,  who  considered  their 
ground  very  valuable,  some  estimating  their  worth  at 
$50,000  for  a  single  claim.  It  was  nothing  uncommon  to 
have  from  250  to  300  miners  present  at  a  miners'  meeting. 

During  the  summer  of  1876  Camp  Crook  was  one  of  the 
busiest  points  in  the  central  Hills.  Two  stages  passed 
through  the  camp,  one  from  Sidney,  whose  route  was  after- 
wards changed  from  the  Hills  to  the  foot-hills  via  Rapid 


464  THE   BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

City  to  Deadwood ;  the  other,  the  Cheyenne,  which  took 
the  old  telegraph  road  from  Custer  to  Deadwood. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1876,  a  store  of  general  mer- 
chandise was  opened  at  Camp  Crook  by  Wm.  Keeler,  who, 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  sold  his  establishment  to 
Arthur  Harvey  and  Chas.  Seip.  This  was  the  first  store, 
and  perhaps  the  only  one,  opened  at  Camp  Crook. 

A  post-office  was  established  at  Camp  Crook,  with  Arthur 
Harvey  as  its  first  postmaster,  in  the  spring  of  1877,  when 
the  name  was  changed  to  Pactola. 

During  the  same  spring  Jas.  C.  Sherman  built  the  Sher- 
man House  —  the  first  hotel  in  that  region.  In  January, 
1878,  Mrs.  Sherman,  with  her  two  children,  arrived  at 
Pactola,  where  the  family  have  resided  ever  since. 

Several  important  mining  enterprises  were  set  on  foot  in 
Pactola  during  the  first  years  of  its  history,  first  among 
which  was  a  scheme  to  bring  water  by  ditch  and  flume 
from  above  to  operate  on  the  placer  deposits  below  town. 
To  carry  out  the  scheme,  a  company  composed  in  part  of 
Judge  Maguire,  B.  B.  Benedict,  and  Col,  Stockton,  was 
organized  under  the  name  of  the  Rapid  Creek  Mining  & 
Manufacturing  Company,  which  built  a  sawmill  to  furnish 
lumber,  and  employed  a  large  number  of  men  to  construct 
a  flume  from  a  point  six  miles  above,  on  Rapid  creek,  to 
the  point  of  contemplated  operations  below,  expending 
large  sums  of  money  in  prosecuting  the  work.  By  the 
time  three  miles  of  the  flume  were  completed,  the  company 
had  exhausted  its  capital  and  went  to  pieces. 

In  1880  the  Estrella  Del  Norte  Company  commenced 
the  construction  of  a  new  flume  to  Swede  Bar,  three  miles 
below,  where  operations  were  carried  on  for  several  years 
with  varying  success,  when  the  work  was  abandoned. 
This  same  company  also  constructed  four  miles  of  flume 
above  Pactola  at  heavy  cost,  which  was  also  abandoned. 
Rapid  creek  and  its  small  tributaries  in  the  vicinity  of 
Pactola  have  been  worked  for  placer  ever  since  the  dis- 
covery of  gold,  and  much  work  has  also  been  done  in  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  465 

development  of  the  quartz  mine  in  that  region,  where 
there  arc  numerous  promising  locations  whose  owners  are 
hopeful  will  in  the  near  future  be  brought  into  prominence. 

HARNEY. 

Harney  owes  its  origin  to  the  discovery  of  placer  gold  at 
that  point  on  Battle  creek,  in  1876,  and  takes  its  name 
from  the  lofty  peak  under  whose  shadow  it  lies.  For  two 
years  after  the  first  discovery  of  gold  it  grew  rapidly,  and 
soon  became  an  important  and  populous  camp.  Yet, 
although  placer  gold  was  known  to  exist  in  abundance  on 
the  bed-rock  of  that  stream,  the  great  depth  of  the  gravel 
deposit,  and  the  consequent  difficulty  of  reaching  it  with 
bed-rock  flume,  rendered  their  operation  almost  wholly  im- 
practicable ;  hence,  after  two  years,  placer  mining  at  that 
point  was  comparatively  abandoned,  a  few  miners  only 
continuing  to  work  the  gravel  on  a  small  scale  along  the 
rim-rock. 

In  1883,  however,  with  the  object  of  trying  to  rqach  the 
deep  gravel  beds  by  hydraulic  process,  a  company  called 
the  Harney  Hydraulic  Gold-Mining  Co.  was  organized  and 
incorporated  under  the  general  laws  of  Dakota  Territory, 
with  A.  J.  Simmon,  Wm.  Claggett,  and  T.  H.  Russell,  as 
incorporators;  with  the  immense  nominal  capital  of 
$2,000,000,  divided  into  200,000  shares  of  the  par  value  of 
$10  each.  The  plan  of  the  company  contemplated  a  com- 
plete system  of  hydraulic  mining  on  a  gigantic  scale  on 
their  extensive  property,  which  consisted  of  six  miles  along 
the  bed  of  Battle  creek.  Two  flumes  were  built,  one 
bringing  water  from  Grizzly  gulch,  the  other  from  Battle 
creek,  the  two  meeting  at  the  mouth  of  the  former  stream, 
thence  the  combined  water  was  carried  to  the  bar  deposits 
in  a  main  flume  which  crossed  the  gulch  on  a  marvelous 
trestle  over  200  feet  high  and  700  feet  long.  Large  sums 
were  expended  in  the  construction  of  flumes  and  other 
works,  and  it  bade  fair  to  become  one  of  the  most  profit- 
able enterprises  in  the  Black  Hills. 

30 


466  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

Work  continued  for  one  and  a  half  years,  and  consider- 
able gold  was  taken  from  "Mitchell's  bar,"  just  below 
where  Keystone  now  stands,  when  operations  were  sus- 
pended.    The  stock  is  now  held  by  Milwaukee  parties. 

The  first  officers  of  the  company,  which  was  for  the  most 
part  composed  of  Deadwood  men,  were:  Hon.  Wm.  Clag- 
gett,  President;  Henry  Jackson,  United  States  Army, 
Vice-President;  Edward  W.  Johnston,  Secretary;  E.  G. 
Spilman,  Assistant  Secretary  ;  E.  F.  Kellogg,  Treasurer; 
James  Halley,  Rapid  City,  Assistant  Treastirer  ;  Richard  P. 
Wheelock,  General  Superintendent  and  Engineer. 

Placer  mining  in  a  limited  way  has  since  been  carried  on 
along  the  creek,  and  much  prospecting  and  development 
work  has  been  done  on  quartz  in  the  vicinity,  by  reason  of 
which  a  little  hamlet  with  post-office  and  school  continued 
to  exist  for  many  years.  However,  Harney  has  now  almost 
lost  its  identity  as  a  town,  being  so  completely  overshad- 
owed by  the  importance  of  the  rich  mining  camp  of  Key- 
stone, about  two  miles  up  the  stream,  that  it  has  neither 
post-office  nor  school  to-day. 

HAVWARD. 

Hayward,  situated  about  six  miles  below  Harney,  on 
Battle  creek,  also  grew  up  as  a  result  of  the  discovery  of 
placer  gold  on  that  stream. 

The  first  discovery  of  gold  at  that  point  was  made  by 
Chas.  Phillips,  Phillip  Brown,  and  Judge  Willis  in  the  early 
fall  of  1876,  but  by  whom,  owing  to  the  appearance  of 
Indians  in  the  locality,  it  was  temporarily  abandoned.  It 
is  told  that  one  day  shortly  after  their  arrival,  a  small  band 
of  the  ubiquitous  red  men  manifested  their  unwelcome 
presence  in  the  vicinity  b}'  firing  a  volley  of  bullets  into 
their  camp  from  the  summit  of  an  adjacent  hill,  perforat- 
ing their  frying-pan,  but  doing  no  other  damage,  and  that 
the  party  then  at  once  packed  their  belongings  and  hastily 
left  the  rugged  hills  to  their  primitive  solitude.  Now,  if 
such  was  the  case,  the  abandonment  w\as  only  temporary. 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     467 

as  the  men  were  found  there  :i  little  later  by  the  next  party 
to  arrive.  However,  the  fact  remains  that  the  above  men- 
tioned men  made  the  first  discovery  of  gold  in  that  locality. 

The  next  to  reach  that  point  was  Chas.  Hay  ward,  Jas. 
E.  Carpenter^  and  six  miners  who  hailed  from  Montana. 
This  party  left  Custer  with  a  wagon-load  of  supplies, 
which,  tradition  says,  overturned  seventeen  times  while 
en  route  over  the  rough  granite  hills  to  Battle  creek. 
However,  they  finally  reached  their  objective  point,  where 
they  found  the  first  discoveries  in  November,  1876. 

The  day  after  their  arrival  a  town  was  laid  out  and 
named  Hayward,  in  honor  of  Chas  Hayward,  the  leader 
of  the  party. 

The  town  grew  rapidly,  soon  becoming  the  most  populous 
camp  in  that  region  of  the  Hills.  Within  a  period  of  six 
months  after  the  first  discovery  of  gold,  there  were  about 
300  miners  engaged  in  placer  operations  along  Battle  creek, 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  newly-founded  town.  In  April,  1877, 
Hayward  —  outrivaling  Custer  City  in  population  —  was 
made  the  temporary  county  seat  of  Custer  County,  partic- 
ulars of  which  are  told  in  the  history  of  that  county.  For 
several  years  Hayward  continued  quite  an  important  raining 
camp,  and  indeed  a  few  are  yet  working  claims  along  the 
creek  with  more  or  less  success.  A  large  amount  of  quartz 
development  has  been  done  in  the  region  around  Hayward, 
exposing  a  number  of  very  promising  gold-bearing  ledges, 
which  will,  doubtless,  ere  long  attract  the  attention  of 
capitalists. 

To-day,  a  little  straggling  hamlet,  hemmed  in  by  ex- 
ceedingly lofty  and  rugged  hills,  containing  some  half 
dozen  or  more  families,  a  post-office  and  schoolhouse,  rep- 
resents the  once  flourishing  mining  camp  and  the  erstwhile 
judicial  seat  of  Custer  County. 

KOCKERVILLE. 

The  history  of  Rockerville,  in  which  there  is  a  tinge  of 
the   romantic,  began   with  the  discovery  of  the  wonderful 


468  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

placer  gold  deposits  in  what  was  afterwards  called  Rocker- 
ville  gulch,  a  branch  of  Spring  creek,  late  in  the  full  of 
1876.  This  extensive  deposit,  which  covered  an  area  of 
about  six  miles  square,  was,  next  to  Deadwood  and  White- 
wood  gulches,  the  richest  placer  deposit  found  in  the  Bhick 
Hills;  consequently;  soon  after  the  discovery,  an  eager, 
feverish,  maddened  throng  of  gold-hunters  was  drawn 
thither  in  pursuit  of  the  beckoning  phantom  that  had,  till 
then,  eluded  their  grasp.  During  the  first  few  years, 
therefore,  the  old  camp  of  Rockerville  was  the  scene  of 
mad  excitement  and  reckless  expenditure  that  would  have 
done  credit  to  Deadwood  during  the  palmy  days  of  '76. 
Gold  dust  and  gold  nuggets  were  plentiful,  speculation  was 
rife,  and  if  tradition  is  to  be  relied  upon,  "  high  jinks" 
generally  ruled  the  day  as  well  as  the  night— especially 
the  night. 

The  discovery  of  this  marvelous  deposit  was  made  by 
Wm.  Keeler  in  December,  1876,  and  this  is  the  way  it 
happened:  Mr.  Keeler  was  on  his  way  down  the  valley 
of  Spring  creek,  or  over  the  hills  by  a  short  cut  from  Sher- 
idan, with  a  couple  of  burros  laden  with  a  camp  outfit, 
when  he  was  overtaken  by  a  severe  snow-storm  which 
compelled  him  to  go  into  camp,  and  while  in  camp  waiting 
for  the  storm  to  abate,  true  to  the  instincts  of  an  old 
miner,  he  prospected  a  little  and  found  the  first  gold  in 
that  locality,  taking  out  an  encouraging  little  sum.  The 
next  to  arrive  was  the  old-time  prospector  and  miner,  Bart 
Henderson,  and  D.  G.  Silliman.  Others  soon  followed, 
and  the  work  of  washing  out  gold  began  under  somewhat 
unfavorable  conditions. 

Owing  to  the  extreme  scarcity  of  water,  no  sluicing 
operations  were  possible  in  the  immediate  locality  of  the 
deposit,  so  the  gold  for  the  most  part  had  to  be  washed 
out  through  the  medium  of  the  primitive  rocker,  but  only 
at  favorable  seasons  of  the  year  could  sufficient  of  the 
essential  fluid  be  found  for  even  the  rocking  process.  At 
times  of  greatest  scarcity,  many  of  the  miners  transported 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  469 

their  pay  gravel  and  cradles  in  small  handcarts  to  wher- 
ever a  pool  of  water  could  be  found,  and  rocked  out 
their  loads,  often  realizing  $100.00  from  a  single  cart- 
load. It  was  during  the  springtide,  however,  when  the 
snow  began  to  melt  in  the  mountains  and  the  water  there- 
from flowed  in  copious  streams  down  the  slopes  into  the 
gulch,  that  miners  reaped  their  richest  harvest. 

During  the  spring  flood,  every  miner  who  owned  a 
rocker,  wisely  "  taking  the  current  when  it  served,"  kept 
it  in  constant  and  active  operation  early  and  late,  and  it  is 
easy  to  imagine  that  the  gulch,  with  its  hundreds  of  cradles 
rocking  along  the  line,  presented  a  very  remarkable,  as 
well  as  an  exceedingly  ludicrous  aspect.  It  is  estimated 
that  during  the  first  two  or  three  years  of  placer  operation 
in  Rockerville  gulch,  over  $500,000  in  gold  was  washed  out 
by  the  slow  rocker  process  alone.  To  this  extensive  use 
of  the  rocker,  the  town  of  Rockerville  owes  its  very  unique 
name. 

To  supply  water  to  operate  these  dry  deposits  on  an  exten- 
sive scale,  the  Black  Hills  Placer  Mining  Co.  was  organized 
and  it  was  durino-  the  building  of  the  great  Rockerville 
flume,  completed  in  1880,  that  the  excitement  in  the  camp 
was  at  its  zenith.  This  flume  was  an  immense  wooden 
structure,  with  a  capacity  of  2,000  miner's  inches  of  water 
running  from  the  dam  at  a  point  about  two  miles  above 
Sheridan,  by  a  meandering  route  along  the  steep  mountain 
slope  over  deep  gorges  on  lofty  trestles,  through  which  was 
carried  the  waters  of  Spring  creek  to  the  rich  placer  beds 
below,  a  distance  of  seventeen  miles. 

Pending  the  building  of  this  flume  a  portable  steam  saw- 
mill was  put  in  operation  along  the  line  to  furnish  lumber 
for  its  construction,  presenting  a  scene  of  great  activity 
along  the  entire  route. 

Operations  were  carried  on  for  about  two  years  when, 
after  having  produced  about  $500,000  of  gold,  litigation 
put  a  stop  to  the  gigantic  enterprise,  and  mining  was  for  a 
lonz  time  at  a  standstill. 


470  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

In  1881  a  company  called  the  Rockerville  Gold  Minin<T 
Co.  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  bed-rock 
flume,  aud  1,100  feet  of  flume  was  built  below  town  at  a 
cost  of  thousands  of  dollars,  but  the  expectations  of  the 
company  were  never  realized. 

Like  nearly  all  mining  camps,  Rockerville  had  its  Don 
Quixote,  in  the  person  of  a  prospector  named  Spicer,  who 
besides  being  an  enthusiastic  geological  theorist  was  also  a 
dreamer,  and  the  appended  story  will  illustrate  how  one  of 
his  dreams  was  verified. 

This  man  Spicer,  as  he  lay  in  his  bunk  one  night  building 
airy  fabrics,  finally  fell  asleep  and  dreamed,  and  in  his 
dream  he  was  led  to  a  spot  about  two  miles  down  Spring 
creek  where,  with  a  pick  and  shovel,  he  dug  a  prospect  hole, 
in  which  he  found  a  pile  of  glittering  gold.  So  vivid  was 
his  dream  upon  awaking  the  next  morning,  that  he  hastily 
dressed  and  with  a  companion  started  out  in  quest  of  the 
place  where  he  had  seen  the  golden  treasure  in  his  dream. 
Upon  reaching  the  spot,  which  he  had  no  difficulty  in 
finding,  he  dug  a  hole,  and  about  two  feet  below  the  sur- 
face, found  a  nugget  worth  in  commercial  value  $38.00 
and,  as  the  boys  say,  no  fooling.  This  remarkable  find  com- 
pletely upset  poor  Spicer's  mental  equilibrium.  He  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  form  a  company  to  put  in  a  flume  for 
the  purpose  of  draining  Spring  creek  near  where  he  had 
found  the  nugget.  The  company  spent  several  thousand 
dollars  in  constructing  a  dam  and  flumes,  which  the  first 
high  water  in  the  spring  washed  entirely  out  of  existence, 
and,  strangely  enough,  there  was  never  a  trace  of  gold 
found  there  after. 

During  its  flourishing  days  Rockerville  —  in  addition  to 
its  numerous  business  places,  had  a  banking  house  which 
furnished  exchange  and  bought  gold  dust  from  the  miners. 
It  also  had  at  least  one  shrewd  lawjer,  as  the  following  bit 
of  sharp  practice  will  show:  —   ' 

One  day  a  man  claiming  to  be  a  member  of  that  profes- 
sion arrived  in  camp,  and  after  looking  over  the  situation^ 


LAST    HLM'IX(J    GROUND    OF    THK    DAKOTAIIS.  471 

and  carefully  summing  up  its  possibilities,  decided  to  locate 
in  his  profession.  He  had  no  money,  but,  as  the  sequel 
proves,  he  had  considerable  native  shrewdness,  and  a  vast 
amount  of  what  is  vulgarly  called  "  cheek"  which  served 
him  in  good  turn.  Money  or  its  equivalent  he  must  have, 
with  which  to  build  him  an  office  and  start  himself  in  prac- 
tice, and  this  is  the  way  he  managed  to  secure  it :  lie  struck 
up  an  acquaintance  with  a  man,  whom  he  persuaded  to 
believe  that  it  was  his  patriotic  duty  to  sue  a  lumberman 
for  cutting  timber  on  the  public  domain.  He  then  offered 
his  services  to  the  defendant,  whom  he  had  caused  to  be 
sued,  and  was  retained,  getting  for  his  fee  lumber  enough 
to  build  him  a  small  office. 

Another  case  will  still  farther  illustrate  the  shrewdness 
of  the  Rockerville  lawyers,  when  the  camp  was  young  — 
not  the  same  lawyer,  however.  A  mining  case  was  on  trial 
before  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  jury.  The  defendant  in 
the  case,  who  was  in  possession  of  the  placer  ground  in 
dispute,  which  was  exceedingly  rich,  was  advised  by  his 
attorney  to  smuggle  into  the  jury  room,  enough  Black  Hills 
whisky  to  keep  the  jury  drunk  for  several  days,  to  stave  off 
an  agreement.  Consequently,  when  the  verdict  was  finally 
handed  in,  the  ground  had  all  been  worked  out  by  the 
defendant,  and  the  gold  safely  tied  up  in  a  buckskin  sack. 
This  case  is  typical  of  many  lawsuits,  in  which  the  meat 
of  the  nut  is  gone  before  the  contest  is  finally  decided. 
These  stories  are  both  founded  upon  fact. 

Ever  since  the  first  discovery,  miners  have  rocked  and 
are  still  rocking  out  grold  in  Rockerville  gulch,  and  making 
good  wages. 

Around  Rockerville  there  exists  a  vast  deposit  of  cement 
containing  gold  and  silver,  which,  by  systematic,  intelli- 
gent operations,  may  yet  be  made  to  yield  a  fortune  to  the 
operators,  In  this  deposit  is  included  the  once  famous 
"Mineral  Hill  "  property,  upon  which  at  an  early  date  a 
ten-stamp  mill  was  erected  and  unsuccessfull}'  operated  for 
a  short  time. 


472  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

The  town  now  contains  about  a  dozen  resident  families, 
has  a  good  hotel,  a  post-office,  and  a  flourishing  school. 
The  Rapid  City  &  Keystone  stage  line  passes  through  the 
town,  giving  it  additional  vitality. 


CASTLETON,    SITTING    BULL,    AND    SILVER    CITY. 

There  are  a  few  other  mining  camps  in  Pennington 
County  that  figured  more  or  less  prominently  in  the  drama 
of  its  early  history  —  notably,  Castleton  and  Sitting  Bull 
on  Castle  creek,  and  Silver  City  on  Rapid  creek.  The  two 
former  both  owe  their  origin  to  the  discovery  of  placer 
gold  on  that  stream  in  1876.  The  site  of  Castleton  was 
laid  out  in  July  of  that  year,  and  considerable  money  was 
expended  in  a  futile  attempt  to  put  in  bed-rock  flumes, 
which  enterprise  had  to  be  abandoned  on  account  of  the 
depth  of  the  deposit  and  the  impossibility  of  obtaining 
sufficient  fall  for  dumping  purposes.  However,  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  placer  gold  have  been  taken  from  the 
hills  and  bars  along  that  stream,  some  of  which  are  still 
profitably  worked.  Some  of  the  most  promising  quartz 
mines  in  the  Black  Hills  are  located  on  Castle  creek  in  the 
vicinity  of  Lookout,  which  will,  by  the  application  of 
scientific  treatment  to  their  ores,  become  rich  gold-pro- 
ducers. Silver  City  was  early  brought  into  prominence  by 
the  discovery  of  wonderfully  rich  silver  as  well  as  gold- 
bearing  ledges  in  its  vicinity,  which  are  to-day  attracting 
the  attention  of  capital  seeking  profitable  investment. 

KEYSTONE. 

Keystone,  the  youngest  and  now  richest  of  the  mining 
camps  of  Pennington  County,  is  situated  in  among  the  rug- 
ged hills  bordering  on  upper  Battle  creek,  about  seven 
miles  southwest  of  Rockerville.  It  dates  its  short  history 
from   1891,  and  owes  its  present  prosperity  mostly  to  the 


LAST  HUNTING  OUOUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     473 

-successful  operations  of  the  Holy  Terror  Gold  Mining  Co. 
The  following  is  a  summary  history  of  the  mines  to  which 
Keystone  owes  its  origin  and  present  prestige  :  — 

The  Keystone  mine  was  located  in  December,  1891,  by 
Wm.  B.  Franklin,  Thomas  C.  Blair,  and  Jacob  Reed,  who 
in  1892  sold  the  property  to  a  number  of  St.  Paul  capital- 
ists organized  under  the  name  of  the  Keystone  Gold  Mining 
Co.  In  the  fall  of  1892  the  company  erected  a  twenty-stamp 
mill  and  put  it  in  operation  on  the  mine  first  with  Major  A. 
J.  Simmons  as  superintendent  and  general  manager,  and 
later  under  the  management  of  Col.  L.  R.  Stone,  of  St, 
Paul. 

This  company  operated  the  mill  with  more  or  less  con- 
tinuity until  the  property  was  bonded  by  the  Holy  Terror 
Gold  Mining  Co.  in  the  fall  of  1897.  During  its  opera- 
tion it  is  claimed  that  the  ore  of  the  mine  averaged  $7.50 
per  ton. 

The  Holy  Terror  Lode  was  located  by  Wm.  B.  Franklin 
and  Thos.  C.  Blair,  on  June  28th,  1894,  and  was  subse- 
quently sold  to  John  J.  Fayel  of  Keystone,  John  S.  George, 
and  other  Milwaukee  capitalists,  organized  under  the  name 
of  the  Holy  Terror  Gold  Mining  Company.  The  company 
erected  a  ten-stamp  mill  at  the  mine,  which  has  since  been 
operated  under  the  supervision  of  John  J.  Fayel,  one  of 
the  owners  of  the  property.  The  ore  from  the  Holy  Terror 
is  mostly  free  milling  and  of  high  grade,  averaging,  it  is 
asserted,  from  $15  to  $20  per  ton  of  ore,  which,  judging 
from  the  monthly  dividends  already  paid  to  its  stockhold- 
ers, is  not  an  overestimate.  Since  September,  1897,  when 
the  first  dividend  was  paid,  the  company  has  issued  checks 
in  the  sum  of  $108,000  in  payment  of  dividends,  which,  con- 
sidering the  heavy  expenditures  for  machinery  and  the  loss 
resulting  from  a  large  amount  of  dead  work  on  the  mine, 
is  a  remarkable  showing  for  a  ten-stamp  mill. 

The  two  mines,  whiqh  are  only  500  feet  apart,  are  being 
connected  by  cuts  from  the  lower  levels  of  the  respective 


474  THE    BLACK    HILLS:    OK, 

mines,  and  when  the  option  of  the  Holy  Terror  Company  on 
the  Keystone  property  matures,  and  the  deal  is  consummated , 
the  consolidated  mines  will  include  under  one  management 
the  richest  vein  of  permanence  yet  discovered  in  the  Black 
Hills.  With  the  additional  twenty  stamps  to  the  Keystone 
battery  contemplated,  the  two  mills  will  have  an  aggregate 
of  fifty  stamps,  which,  when  put  in  operation  on  the  prop- 
erty, should,  according  to  the  rules  of  simple  proportion, 
make  it  no  mean  rival  to  the  great  Homestake  in  the  pay- 
ment of  dividends.  It  will  certainly  disprove  the  erstwhile 
claim  that  no  rich  gold  ledges  existed  outside  of  the  great 
northern  "belt." 

In  the  vicinity  of  Keystone  there  is  also  a  ten-stamp 
custom  mill,  owned  by  D.  B.  Ingram  &  Company,  which 
runs  on  ore  from  the  "  Big  Hit,"  "  Bismarck,"  "  Bullion," 
"Lucky  Boy,"  and  "  Tom  Austin"  mines,  all  of  which 
have  proved  to  be  rich  producing  properties. 

Keystone  contains  a  present  population  of  1,500,  and  has 
two  church  organizations,  the  Congregational  and  Metho- 
dist, a  large  school,  but  as  yet  no  school  building.  The 
camp  has  one  newspaper  establishment,  three  hotels,  two 
assay  offices,  and  about  twenty-five  other  business  places 
of  various  kinds.  The  site  of  Keystone  is  patented  for 
placer  ground  and  owned  for  the  most  part  by  the  Holy 
Terror  Mining  Company. 

One  of  the  first  permanent  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of 
Keystone  was  Fred.  J.  Cross.  Mr.  Cross  came  to  that  local- 
ity early  in  1877,  long  before  the  Keystone,  Holy  Terror, 
or  any  other  of  the  promising  mines  thereabout,  saw  the 
light  of  day.  In  his  cosy  cabin,  among  the  spruces  and 
the  pines  of  Buckeye  gulch,  he  has  lived  ever  since,  and 
moreover,  during  the  years  he  has  gathered  in  his  cabin  a 
collection  of  rich  ore  specimens  and  rare  curios,  that  is 
worth  going  a  long  journey  to  see.  Mr.  Cross  was  Custer 
County's  first  Register  of  Deeds,  having  been  appointed 
to  that  office  by   Governor  Pennington   in  the   spring  of 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OB"    THE    DAKOTAIIS. 


475 


1877.  He  was  also  twice  elected  County  Commissioner  of 
Pennington  County,  and  is  a  member  of  its  present  Board. 
The  other  small  hamlets  and  post-offices  in  Pennington 
County  are  Silver  City,  Merritt,  Lookout,  Redfern,  Mystic, 
Laverne,  Moulton,  Dakota  City,  Creston,  and  Farming- 
dale. 


-s^M. 


^''iWi^^Y'ftWififTi 


476  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER     XXXir. 

LAWRENCE  COUNTY. 

Lawrence  County  originally  extended  from  the  two 
branches  of  the  Cheyenne  river  on  the  east,  to  Wyoming 
Territory  on  the  west,  and  the  Belle  Fourche  on  the  north 
to  Pennington  County  on  the  south,  measuring  eighty-seven 
miles  in  length  from  east  to  west  by  an  average  width  of 
about  twenty-four  miles  from  north  to  south,  comprising 
an  area  of  a  little  more  than  2,000  square  miles,  but  by 
reason  of  subsequent  encroachments  upon  its  original 
domain,  it  has  been  cut  down  to  its  present  limitations.  In 
running  the  line  of  Butte  County  in  1883,  a  strip  of  nearly 
six  miles  in  width  was  cut  off,  along  the  northern  boundary, 
and  when  in  1889  Lawrence  and  Meade  counties  came  to 
the  parting  of  their  ways,  the  latter  took  with  it  the  east- 
ern portion  comprising  more  than  one-half  of  its  original 
territory. 

The  county  of  Lawrence  is  now  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Butte  County  ;  on  the  east  by  Meade  ;  on  the  south  by 
Pennington  County;  and  on  the  west  by  Wyoming,  measur- 
ing in  length  from  north  to  south  twenty-four  miles,  by 
thirty  miles  in  width  from  east  to  west,  making  an  area  of 
720  square  miles. 

While  Lawrence  County  is  the  smallest  in  superficial  area, 
in  point  of  wealth  and  population  it  is  the  most  important  of 
the  Black  Hills  counties,  containing  over  half  of  their  entire 
population,  and  a  proportionate  amount  of  their  accumu- 
lated wealth. 

The  gold-bearing  region  of  the  county,  which  lies  mostly 
within  a  radius  of  six  miles  of  Deadwood,  consists  of 
extremely  bold  and   rugged   hills,  which  descend  abruptly 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAIvOTAHS.  477 

to  the  plains  on  the  north,  the  streams  having  a  descent  of 
from  150  to  200  feet  per  mile  until  reaching  the  open 
plains,  while  the  region  around  their  headwaters  on  the 
southwest  is  comparatively  level.  The  principal  streams 
draining  the  area  of  Lawrence  County  are  the  Redwater, 
Spearfish,  False  Bottom,  and  Whitewood  creeks,  the  Spear- 
fish  being  the  longest  and  largest  stream  wholly  within  the 
county,  carrying  a  large  volume  of  water  throughout  the 
year  to  the  Redwater  river.  Along  the  valleys  of  these 
streams  and  Centennial  prairie  are  the  richest  and  best 
developed  agricultural  lands  in  Lawrence  County.  Here 
and  there  through  the  county  are  considerable  areas  of 
elevated  prairie  land,  notably  Boulder  Park,  which  con- 
tains hundreds  of  acres  of  fine  grazing  land,  —  portions  of 
which  are  adapted  to  agricultural  purposes. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  commissioners,  appointed  to 
organize  Lawrence  County,  was  held  at  Crook  City  in 
April,  1877,  from  which  it  appears  to  have  been  the  orig- 
inal intention  of  the  board  to  locate  the  county  seat  at  that 
point,  which  was  then  thought  by  some  to  be  the  coming 
town  of  the  Black  Hills.  Contrary  to  their  original  inten- 
tion, however,  although  large  inducements  were  offered  in 
the  way  of  town  lots,  by  the  people  of  Crook  Cit}',  the 
board  adjourned  to  Deadwood  without,  it  is  believed,  trans- 
acting any  business.  At  the  adjourned  meeting  the  county 
was  organized  and  named  Lawrence,  in  honor  of  Col.  John 
Lawrence,  the  county's  first  treasurer,  at  which  time  the 
temporary  county  seat  was  located  at  Deadwood,  which,  in 
the  following  November,  was  chosen  the  permanent  capital 
by  the  popular  vote  of  the  county. 

The  first  oflScers  of  Lawrence  County  were  as  follows  :  — 
Commissioners,  Fred.  T.  Evans,  John  Wolzmuth,  and 
A.  W.  Lavender;  Sheriff,  Seth  Bullock;  Treasurer,  John 
Lawrence  ;  Register  of  Deeds,  Jas.  Hand;  Probate  Judge, 
C.  E.  Hanrahan ;  Prosecuting  Attorney,  A.  J.  Fianner; 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  Chas.  McKinnis; 
Assessor,  James;  Coroner,  Dr,  Babcock. 


478  THE    BLACK    JIILLS  ;    OK, 

During  the  following  May  a  change  was  made,  and  Chas. 
McKinnis  was  appointed  Judge  of  Probate  and  C.  E.  Han- 
rahan.  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

Judge  Granville  G.  Bennett  was  appointed  first  Judge  of 
the  Black  Hills  Circuit  Court  and  Gen.  A.  R.  Z.  Dawson, 
first  Clerk  of  Courts. 

Prior  to  the  election  in  November,  1877,  the  commis- 
sioners divided  the  county  into  four  voting  precincts,  viz.  : 
Deadwood,  Gayville  (changed  to  Troy),  Crook  City,  and 
Spearfish,  and  at  the  election  the  following  county  officers 
were  chosen  for  one  year:  — 

Commissioners,  Jas.  Ryan,  B.  Whitson,  and  Geo.  Gates; 
Sheriff,  John  Manning;  Register  of  Deeds,  Chas.  McKin- 
nis;  Treasurer,  Brigham;   Judge  of  Probate,  L.   W. 

Kuykendall;   Prosecuting  Attorney,  Joseph  Miller. 

Large  expenditures  were  made  by  the  county  during  the 
first  two  years  after  its  organization,  in  the  construction  of 
roads  and  bridges  throughout  the  county,  many  of  which 
were  badly  damaged  or  entirely  washed  away  by  the  dis- 
astrous flood  of  1883.  The  damage,  however,  was  soon 
repaired  and  put  in  better  condition  than  before. 

During  the  first  year  after  the  inauguration  of  the  public 
school  system,  fourteen  schools  were  established  in  Law- 
rence County,  the  first  of  which  is  claimed  to  have  been 
taught  at  Central  City. 

The  courts  of  Lawrence  County  were  held  in  a  rented 
building  on  Main  street,  until  1879,  when  the  commissioners 
purchased  of  Fred.  T.  Evans  a  two-story  brick  structure, 
designed  for  a  business  house,  which  was  converted  into 
the  present  courthouse  of  Lawrence  County  at  a  cost  of 
$12,000.00. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  Lawrence  County  in  1898 
amounted  to  $4,442,628.00,  its  total  indebtedness  to  $431,- 
250.00,  and  its  population  in  1896  was  27,000,  which  con- 
stitutes more  than  one-half  of  the  entire  population  of  the 
Black  Hills. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  479 

DEAUWOOD. 

Deadvvood  entered  upon  the  second  year  of  its  history 
with  increased  assurances  of  permanency  and  prosperity. 
The  rich  placer  deposits  of  Deadwood,  Whitewood,  and 
other  gulches,  were  supplemented  by  new  discoveries  of 
extensive  areas  of  deep  gravel  and  rich  hill  diggings,  from 
which  multiplied  thousands  were  later  mined;  the  quartz 
ledges  in  the  vicinity,  too,  were  beginning  to  yield  their 
tribute  of  gold,  all  of  which  found  its  way  to  the  great 
center  of  trade,  Deadwood.  During  its  second  year, 
capital  began  to  make  its  appearance,  and  here  and  there, 
a  number  of  two-story  substantial  business  blocks  reared 
their  imposing  individualities  above  the  medley  of  one-story 
structures,  thrown  up  at  haphazard  during  the  excite- 
ment of  the  first  year,  and  several  new  and  important 
enterprises  were  inaugurated. 

Early  in  1877  two  daily  newspapers  were  established  in 
Deadwood,  to  reproduce  the  strange  sights  and  sounds,  and 
chronicle  the  comedies  and  tragedies  of  the  thronged  city 
and  the  mining  camps  round  about.  Of  these  the  Dead- 
wood  Daily  Times  was  the  first,  the  initial  number  appear- 
ing on  April  7th,  1877,  under  the  editorial  management 
and  sole  proprietorship  of  Porter  Warner,  who  has  ably 
conducted  the  enterprise,  and  alone  controlled  its  destinies 
through  the  vicissitudes  of  a  little  more  than  twenty  years. 

On  the  15th  of  May  following,  the  Black  Hills  Weekly 
Pioneer f  whose  history  has  already  been  told,  was  con- 
verted into  a  daily  paper. 

In  the  early  part  of  1877,  two  new  banking  institutions 
were  opened  in  Deadwood,  to  aid  those  previously  estab- 
lished in  furnishing  exchange  for  the  immense  gold  dust 
production,  and  a  safe  deposit  for  the  surplus  earnings  of 
the  miners.  The  first  of  these  was  opened  by  Stebbins, 
Wood  &  Post  in  a  building  erected  on  that  part  of  Lee 
street  now  occupied  by  the  First  National  Bank  building. 
It  may  be  remembered  by  then    residents  of  Deadwood, 


480  THE     BLACK     HILLS;    OR, 

that  while  this  building  was  in  process  of  construction,  in 
the  latter  part  of  March,  1877,  several  armed  men  were 
stationed  around  the  site  to  protect  the  workmen  from  ex- 
pected interference  by  the  city  marshal,  or  the  owners  of 
the  corner  lot  on  the  north. 

Be  it  known  that  the  public  street  was  being  appropri- 
ated for  building  purposes  contrary  to  the  letter  and  spirit 
of  the  rules  and  regulations  governing  the  city  —  hence  the 
precaution.  Among  those  defiant  guards  who  stood  grim 
and  determined,  with  guns  well  in  hand,  were  Noah  Siever 
and  the  unfortunate  Ed.  Durham,  both  of  whom  will  be 
well  remembered  by  all  old-timers  of  Deadvvood.  No  phy- 
sical force  was  used,  however,  but  whether  through  fear  of 
the  threatening  attitude  of  the  builders,  or  indifference 
as  to  the  blocking  of  the  street,  which  runs  plump  into  a 
steep  hill  directly  in  the  rear,  is  a  matter  of  conjecture. 
At  any  rate  the  building  was  rushed  to  a  speedy  comple- 
tion, taking  but  three  or  four  days  to  finish  the  structure 
from  foundation  to  roof,  and  was  immediately  let  to  W. 
R.  Stebbins,  who  associated  with  Wood  &  Post,  opened  its 
doors  for  business  on  April  6th,  1877,  with  a  cash  capital 
of  $10,000.00.  This  important  event  in  Deadwood's  his- 
tory was  inaugurated  by  a  grand  ball  that  night  in  the 
Grand  Central  Hotel. 

The  building,  a  two-story  frame  shell,  was  owned  by 
Messrs.  Siever,  Durham,  Hamilton,  and  Scott,  and  was  let 
by  them  to  the  banking  firm  at  an  annual  rental,  it  is 
stated,  of  $3,000.00,  the  upper  story  being  subrented  by 
Porter  Warner  for  the  office  of  the  Dendwood  Daily  Times, 
established  something  more  than  a  month  later.  An  ex- 
ceedingly tragic  event  is  recalled  at  the  mention  of  the  name 
of  one  of  the  owners  of  this  building  —  a  tragedy  which 
sent  one  man  swiftly  into  eternity,  and  another  through 
the  portals  of  a  gloomy  prison. 

It  was  one  Sunday  in  early  April,  1878,  that  the  unfor- 
tunate Ed.  Durham  entered  a  place  called  "  Progressive 
Hall,"   located   a  few  doors  below  the  corner  of  Lee  and 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


481 


Main  street  on  the  north,  for  the  last  time.  He  had  been 
there  before,  it  appears,  on  the  same  mission,  and  demanded 
the  immediate  settlement  of  an  account  which  he  held 
against  the  proprietor,  Chris.  Hoffman.     A  quarrel  ensued. 


STAGE  COACH,  MAIN  STREET,  DEADWOOD. 

during  which  Durham,  goaded  and  desperate,  quickly  and 
with  true  aim,  leveled  his  six-shooter  and  fired,  killing 
Hoff'man  instantly.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  civil 
law  was  in  force  at  that  time,  the  friends  of  the  murdered 
man  made  an  active  effort  to  work  up  a  sentiment  among  the 
people,  in  favor  of  meting  out  summary  punishment  to  the 

31 


482  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

guilty  man,  which,  however,  was  frowned  down  by  their 
better   sense  and  the  law  was  permitted  to  take  its  course. 

Durham  was  tried  by  Judge  Alanson  H.  Barnes,  who  at 
the  time  was  holding  court  for  Judge  Bennett,  and  by  him 
sentenced  to  twelve  years  in  the  Yankton  penitentiary,  but 
after  serving  eight  years  of  his  sentence  he  was  released  on 
the  petition  of  the  people  of  the  Hills,  to  which  he  never 
returned,  that  being  a  condition  of  his  release. 

The  second  to  establish  a  bank  in  1877  was  the  firm  of 
Brown  &  Thum,  who  erected  a  bank  building  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  Main  and  Lee  streets,  and  opened  its 
doors  for  business  in  the  latter  part  of  May  of  that  year. 
Who,  of  the  then  residents  of  Deadwood,  will  not  remem- 
ber the  two-story  structure,  whose  marble-blocked  facade 
loomed  up  so  conspicuously  above  its  less  pretentious 
neighbors  on  the  left  of  the  bank  of  Stebbins,  Wood  & 
Post?  It  may  be  recalled,  too,  that  the  opening  of  the 
bank  was  made  the  occasion  of  a  grand  social  function 
gotten  up  by  prominent  gentlemen  of  Deadwood  for  the 
night  of  May  24th,  1877,  in  compliment  to  the  enterprising 
firm  ;  and  perchance  there  are  some  yet  in  Deadwood  who, 
on  that  occasion,  were  prominent  figures  on  the  floor  of  the 
gaily  decorated  and  brilliantly  lamp-lighted  building,  where 
about  fifty  couples  of  Deadwood's  fair  women  and  brave 
men  trod  the  '*  giddy  mazes  "  to  the  enchanting  strains  of 
a  six-piece  orchestra.  The  decorations,  menu,  etc.,  of  that 
old-time  social  affair  were  under  the  especial  charge  of 
Messrs.  Amerman  &  Sutherland,  of  the  General  Custer 
House,  who  acquitted  themselves  with  honor  to  themselves 
and  credit  to  the  occasion. 

POST-OFFICE. 

In  April,  1877,  a  regular  United  States  post-office 
was  established  in  Deadwood  with  R.  O.  Adams  as  its 
first  postmaster,  the  first  office  being  opened  on  Sher- 
man street,  South  Deadwood.  Mr.  Adams  continued  in 
office  until  May  or  June,  1879,  when  he  abdicated,  and  was 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  483 

succeeded  by  Sol.  Star,  who  occupied  the  office  until  1881, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  J.  A.  Harding.  In  1882  the 
office  was  removed  from  Sherman  to  Main  street,  where 
it  has  since  remained.  The  Dead  wood  post-office,  from  the 
standpoint  of  receipts  and  disbursements  through  the  office, 
is  one  of  the  most  important  in  South  Dakota  to-day. 

CHURCHES. 

The  first  religious  organization  in  Deadwood  was  formed 
by  the  Congregational  Society  in  the  fall  of  1876,  and  their 
first  church  edifice  was  built  during  the  early  part  of  1877, 
the  first  service  being  held  in  the  building  in  July  of  that 
year  (see  Chapter  of  First  Events). 

Thejecond  was  formed  by  the  Methodist  society,  which 
was  organized  in  the  fall  of  1877,  by  Rev.  Jas.  Williams, 
who  was  sent  to  the  Black  Hills  missionary  field  from  the 
Northwestern  Iowa  conference.  In  December,  1880,  the 
society  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  First  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  of  Deadwood.  A  lot  was  purchased 
at  the  corner  of  Pine  and  Water  streets  at  a  cost  of  $1,000, 
and  subsequently  a  church  building  erected  thereon.  Despite 
the  bulkhead  that  had  been  erected  to  protect  the  property 
against  the  annual  high  tides  of  Whitewood  creek,  the 
building  and  lot,  from  spire  to  bed-rock,  was  remorselessly 
swept  away  by  the  disastrous  flood  of  1883. 

The  Roman  Catholics,  too,  were  early  in  the  field. 
Father  John  Lonegan,  who  was  sent  to  the  Black  Hills  by 
Bishop  O'Connor,  of  Omaha,  said  his  first  mass  in  a  shop 
belonging  to  Mr.  Webster,  on  Sherman  street,  on  the  22d 
of  May,  1877.  During  the  summer  of  1877  a  small  church 
building  was  erected  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Cath- 
olic church  of  Deadwood,  on  Williams  street. 

The  society  which  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  now  flour- 
ishing Episcopal  church  of  Deadwood  was  organized  during 
the  summer  of  1878.  Rev.  E.  J.  K.  Lessell  was  appointed 
missionary  to  the  Black  Hills  in  July  of  that  year  by  Bishop 
Hare,  who,  made  his  first  visit  to  the  Hills  in  the  following 


484  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

October.  In  September,  1880,  he  again  visited  Deaclwood, 
and  on  the  12lh  of  that  month  hiid  the  corner-stone  of  the 
church.  On  Easter  Sunday,  April  17th,  1881,  the  first 
service  was  held,  with  Kev.  Geo.  C.  Pennell  as  minister. 

The  first  public  school  building  in  Deadwood  —  a  two- 
story  frame  structure  —  was  erected  near  the  corner  of 
Pine  and  Water  streets  in  the  fall  of  1877,  and  later,  in  the 
fall  of  the  same  year.  Prof.  Dolph  Edwards,  assisted  by 
Miss  Eva  Deffenbacher,  opened  and  taught  Deadwood' s 
first  public  school. 

The  first  company  of  the  Deadwood  Fire  Department  to 
organize  was  the  Pioneer  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  in 
June,  1877,  which  was  also,  doubtless,  the  first  organization 
of  the  kind  in  the  Black  Hills.  The  preliminary  meeting 
for  the  organization  of  this  company  was  held  on  June  19th, 
1877,  at  which  time  the  kind  and  name  of  the  company  to 
be  organized  was  decided  upon,  and  a  committee  on  organ, 
ization,  consisting  of  W.  J.  Thornby,  John  Manning,  and 
Robert  Chew,  was  appointed.  On  the  25th  of  June  the 
organization  was  completed  with  John  Manning  as  Fore- 
man ;  H.  B.  Beeman,  First  Assistant ;  John  Worth,  Second 
Assistant ;  and  James  McPherson,  Treasurer  ;  and  on  the 
roster  of  members  appeared  the  names  of  sixty-four  of 
Deadvvood's  business  men.  A  hundred  canvas  buckets  and 
the  running  gear  of  an  old  wagon  fitted  up  as  a  hook  and 
ladder  truck,  constituted  the  equipment  of  this  pioneer  fire 
company. 

In  January,  1879,  the  first  hose  company  was  organized, 
but  disbanded  before  the  great  fire  in  September  of  that 
year. 

In  December,  1879,  the  South  Deadwood  and  Homestake 
companies  were  organized,  and  joined  the  department. 
According  to  the  annual  report  of  Chief  Frawley  to  the 
Mayor  and  City  Council,  the  Deadwood  Fire  Department 
in  1898  consisted  of  five  companies,  with  an  aggregate  of 
15(5  energetic  firemen,  the  equipment  of  the  department 
consisting  of  eight  hose  carts,  4,200  feet  of  good  hose,  a 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  485 

hook  and  ladder  truck,  n  fifty-five  gallon  chemical  engine, 
banners  and  regalia  for  service  and  display. 

During  the  two  succeeding  years,  the  major  part  of  the 
nondescript  shacks  that  had  sprung  up  in  a  day,  were  torn 
down,  and  in  their  stead  appeared  more  solid  business 
structures,  and  banking,  mercantile,  and  other  kinds  of 
legitimate  enterprises  multiplied  in  proportion. 

On  September  1st,  1878,  the  First  National  Bank,  — 
believed  to  be  the  first  legitimate  banking  institution  in  the 
Black  Hills,  was  organized  with  L.  R.  Graves  as  President, 
and  S.  N.  Wood  as  Cashier,  the  original  institution  chauoj- 
ing  hands  in  August,  1879,  when  O.  J.  Salisbury  became 
President;  D.  K.  Dickinson,  Vice-President;  and  D.  A. 
McPherson,  Cashier.  The  first  building  occupied  by  this 
bank,  which  was  identical  with  the  structure  erected  on 
Lee  street,  and  rented,  but  subsequently  purchased,  by  Steb- 
bins,  Wood  &  Post,  in  1877,  was  destroyed  by  the  fire  of 
1879,  but  the  books,  papers,  etc.,  were  preserved  in  the 
vault  and  the  business  was  continued  in  a  new  building  of 
brick  and  iron,  soon  after  constructed,  which  is  occupied 
by  the  First  National  Bank  of  Deadwood  to-day. 

The  next  was  a  private  bank  opened  by  Stebbins,  Post, 
&  Mund,  in  March,  1879,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $20,000.00 
which  it  was  soon  found  necessary  to  increase  to  $50,- 
000.00.  In  November  of  the  same  year  the  private  concern 
was  merged  into  the  Merchants'  National  Bank,  which 
opened  with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000,  and  was  officered 
as  follows:  W.  R.  Stebbins,  President ;  Seth  Bullock,  Vice- 
president;  and  Alvin  Fox,  Cashier.  A  new  brick  bank 
building,  when  on  the  verge  of  completion,  was  destroyed 
by  the  great  fire  of  1879. 

On  the  day  succeeding  the  fire,  work  was  commenced  on 
a  new  structure  which  was  completed  in  1880,  the  bank 
meanwhile  continuing  business  in  a  temporary  building. 

Those  early  banking  establishments  were  prosperous  in- 
stitutions, their  aggregate  business  reaching  up  into  mill- 
ions of  dollars  annually.     The  early  bullion  product  of  the 


486  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Hills  which  was  handled  by  these  banks  was  in  itself  no 
small  factor  in  making  up  the  sum  total. 

THE    GREAT    FIRE. 

There  being  but  scant  room  for  expansion  in  the  con- 
tracted valleys  below,  the  rapidly  increasing  homes,  un- 
able to  find  a  respectable  foothold  on  the  lower  levels, 
began  to  climb  higher  and  higher  up  the  steep  slope  of 
Forest  Hill  and  also  to  extend  up  the  forking  defiles  of 
Whitewood  and  Deadwood  gulches,  and  on  to  the  low 
plateaus  of  the  former  stream.  In  fact  Deadwood  had 
nearly  outgrown  the  fortuitous  conditions  of  its  origin, 
when  the  first  great  calamity  befell  the  ambitious  young 
city. 

On  the  night  of  September  25th,  1879,  a  little  fire  was 
accidentally  kindled  which  spread  with  the  rapidity  of  a 
race-horse  over  nearly  the  entire  business  portion  of  the 
town,  leaving  nothing  in  its  wide  pathway  but  heaps  of 
ashes  and  masses  of  smoking  ruins.  The  destruction  was 
speedy  and  complete. 

The  next  morning's  sun  that  had  last  set  upon  a  pros- 
perous business  community  rose  upon  a  widely  different 
scene.  Hundreds  of  people, —  men  and  women,  —  many 
of  the  latter  who  had  fled  precipitately  up  from  the  pursu- 
ing flames,  in  scanty  attire,  lined  the  slope  of  Forest  Hill, 
and  looked  helplessly  down  upon  the  smouldering  ruins  of 
their  property  and  in  many  instances  their  homes. 

The  fire  originated  in  the  Empire  bakery,  a  frame  build- 
ing located  in  a  well-built-up  portion  of  Sherman  street, 
kept  by  Mrs.  EUsner.  The  fire  quickly  spread  and  com- 
municated with  the  hardware  store  of  Jensen  &  Bliss  in 
the  same  block,  in  which  kegs  of  black  powder  were 
stored.  The  fire  spreading  rapidly,  soon  after  the  building 
was  wrapped  in  flames  and  the  powder  ignited,  when  there 
occurred  a  terrific  explosion  which  sent  a  shower  of  burn- 
ing cinders  broadcast  over  the  doomed  city.  In  a  few 
moments  the  Welch  House  on  Lee  street  was  ablaze,  thence 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  487 

the  fire  leaped  onto  Main  street,  clown  which  it  sped  from 
one  inflammable  structure  to  another,  until  the  whole  of 
that  portion  of  the  town  from  the  old  courthouse  north, 
to  Williams  street  and  to  Chinatown  on  the  south,  was  in 
one  continuous  blaze.  As  the  various  explosives  Avere 
reached  on  its  swift  pace  down  Main  street  explosion  after 
explosion  took  place,  expediting  the  work  of  destruction 
and  adding  to  the  terror  of  the  already  stricken  people. 

As  Deadwood  at  that  time  had  no  perfected  water  sys- 
tem for  fire  purposes  nothing  could  be  done  to  stay  the 
progress  of  the  fire,  it  only  stopping  at  last  for  lack  of 
material  to  feed  upon.  Every  building,  brick  and  frame, 
from  Pine  and  Sherman  streets  to  Chinatown,  covering  an 
area  of  about  one-half  by  one-quarter  of  a  mile,  was  con- 
sumed with  their  contents  ;  the  bank  vaults  and  a  few  fire- 
proof store  houses  alone  withstanding  the  destructive 
element. 

The  fire  of  1879  was  to  Deadwood  what  the  great  fire  of 
1871  was  to  Chicago,  only  the  blow  fell  more  heavily  on 
the  former,  in  that  it  was  hundreds  of  miles  by  wagon 
road  away  from  its  base  of  supplies. 

By  a  singular  coincidence  a  woman  was  innocently  at  the 
root  of  both  disasters,  and,  moreover,  there  is  another  point 
of  similarity. 

The  business  men  of  Deadwood,  with  the  same  Western 
pluck  and  determination,  proceeded  without  delay  to  rear 
upon  the  ruins  a  far  more  beautiful  and  enduring  city. 

The  business  men  of  Deadwood  believed  in  the  old  adage 
which  says  :  "  There's  no  use  in  crying  over  spilled  milk," 
so,  putting  their  convictions  into  practice  instead  of  fold- 
ing their  hands  and  shedding  unavailing  tears  over  the 
dreadful  calamity,  they  at  once  buckled  to  the  work  of 
rebuilding  new  structures  upon  the  ashes  of  the  old,  and 
starting  anew.  They  immediately,  by  telegram,  ordered 
new  stocks  of  goods  to  be  forwarded  by  express  to  Dead- 
wood,  procured  lumber  from  the  nearest  sawmill,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  rake  away  the  smoking  ruins  from  the  hot  founda- 


488  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

tions  upon  which  the  temporary  buildings  were  erected  and 
opened  for  business  within  twenty-four  hours  after  the 
burning.  Within  forty-eight  hours  thereafter,  foundations 
were  laid  for  several  brick  blocks,  which  in  ninety  days 
were  finished  and  ready  for  occupancy.  The  work  of 
rebuilding  was  continued  until  the  entire  burnt  area  was 
covered  with  substantial  structures,  of  material  capable  of 
resisting  to  a  great  degree  the  action  of  the  destructive 
element. 

It  may  be  said  that  Deadwood  practically  dates  its  per- 
manency from  the  great  conflagration  of  1879.  A  better 
order  of  affairs,  such  as  could  not  have  been  hoped  for 
under  its  former  regime,  was  soon  established,  placing  the 
town  upon  a  more  progressive  basis  as  well  as  a  more 
dignified  plane. 

DEADWOOD 'S    W^ATER    SYSTEM. 

On  the  30th  day  of  June,  1879,  the  commissioners  of 
Lawrence  County  in  behalf  of  the  city  of  Deadwood, 
entered  into  contract  with  the  Black  Hills  Canal  &  Water 
Co.  to  supply  the  city  with  water  for  a  period  of  twenty 
years,  and  on  the  29th  day  of  October  of  the  same  year 
the  system  was  completed.  The  supply  of  water  for  the 
system  is  obtained  from  mountain  springs  on  City,  Spring, 
and  Elk  creeks,  and  conducted  through  about  eight  miles 
of  bed-rock  flumes  and  pipes  to  large  reservoirs,  situated 
on  a  hill  overlooking  City  creek,  over  200  feet  above  Main 
street,  and  thence  distributed  through  pipes  to  every  part 
of  the  city.  From  this  elevation  the  pressure  of  the  water 
is  great,  obviating  the  necessity  of  engines  for  fire  pur- 
poses. All  that  Deadwood's  eflScient  fire  laddies  have  to  do, 
in  case  of  fire,  is  to  remove  the  plugs,  attach  the  hose,  when 
the  water  rushes  through  them  with  the  force  of  a  catapult. 
When  the  contract  with  the  Black  Hills  Canal  &  Water  Co. 
expires  in  October,  1899,  Deadwood  will,  perhaps,  estab- 
lish a  water  system  of  her  own. 

In  the  spring  of   1882,  the  Black  Hills  Telephone  Ex- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    TPIE    DAKOTAHS.  489 

-change  was  established  in  Deadwood,  by  W.  M.  and  J.  L. 
Baird,  and  the  system  now,  with  its  300  or  more  miles  of 
wire  outside  of  the  city,  puts  its  citizens  in  convenient 
speaking  communication  with  every  city  and  camp  of  im- 
portance in  the  Black  Hills. 

DEADWOOD    INCORPORATED. 

In  1881  Deadwood  was  incorporated  as  a  city,  by  act  of 
the  Territorial  Legislature,  and  separated  into  four  wards, 
each  ward  being  represented  by  two  members  to  the  Com- 
mon Council.  By  this  act,  Deadwood,  South  Deadwood, 
Cleveland,  Ingleside,  Elizabethtown,  Chinatown,  Fountain 
City,  Montana  City,  and  other  hamlets  clustering  around 
Deadwood,  were  incorporated  into  one  city.  From  the  time 
of  this  union  of  municipal  interests,  the  rivalry  and  strained 
relations  which  had  from  the  first  existed  between  Dead- 
wood  and  South  Deadwood  were  reduced  to  a  minimum. 
Judge  D.  McLaughlin  was  first  Mayor  of  Greater  Deadwood. 

BOARD    OF    EDUCATION. 

In  March,  1881,  a  Board  of  Education  was  provided  for 
by  act  of  the  Legislature,  and  the  consolidated  city  was 
constituted  an  independent  school  district,  subdivided  into 
four  wards,  each  ward  being  represented  by  two  members 
of  the  Board  of  Education. 

During  the  same  year,  the  cit}'  voted  to  issue  bonds  for 
school  purposes  to  the  amount  of  $12,000  ;  and  two  school 
buildings  were  erected,  one  in  the  first  ward  (Elizabeth- 
town),  and  a  large  central  brick  building,  in  the  third 
ward,  which  building  was  swept  away  by  the  flood  of  1883. 

MANUFACTURES. 

In  1881,  the  Deadwood  Flouring  Mill  Company,  consist- 
ing of  Sol.  Star,  Seth  Bullock,  and  Harris  Franklin,  was 
organized,  and  a  fine  steam  plant,  with  a  capacity  of  150 
pounds  of  flour  per  day,  was  erected  during  the  same  year, 
at  a  cost  of  $60,000  for  building  and  equipments.     The 


490  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

grain  used  by  this  mill,  when  in  operation,  was  grown 
exclusively  in  and  around  the  Black  Hills,  and  no  better 
wheat  is  produced  in  the  world  than  is  grown  in  the  fertile 
valleys  of  the  Hills,  and  no  better  flour  was  ever  manufac- 
tured than  the  old  Board  of  Trade  flour,  turned  out  by  the 
Dead  wood  Steam  Flouring  Mill.  The  industry  is  now  at  a 
standstill,  owing,  it  is  alleged,  to  a  lack  of  a  suflBcient 
supply  of  native  grain. 

Several  other  important  manufacturing  industries  were 
established  in  Deadwood  about  that  period  of  its  history, 
such  as  brick,  sash  and  door  manufactories,  iron  foundries, 
wagon  factories,  planing  mills,  etc.,  the  latter  turning  out 
millions  of  feet  of  dressed  lumber  annually  from  timber 
cut  from  the  surrounding:  forests. 

The  usual  secret  orders  and  benevolent  associations  com- 
mon to  cities  of  its  class  were  early  organized  in  Dead- 
wood,  viz.  :  Masonic,  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Miners'  Union,  Liberal  League,  etc.  The  first  steps  taken 
toward  the  organization  of  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellow  lodges 
were  away  back  in  1876,  on  the  occasion  of  the  funerals  of 
Isaac  Brown  and  Chas.  Holland,  as  before  recorded. 

THE    GREAT    FLOOD. 

In  the  midst  of  its  prosperity,  however.  Dead  wood's  prog- 
ress was  rudely  arrested  by  the  great  flood  of  1883.  As 
it  has  been  written,  and  graphically  written,  too,  doubtless 
every  one  in  the  Black  Hills  is  already  familiar  with  the 
story.  Yet,  realizing  that  no  history  of  Deadwood  will  be 
quite  complete  without,  at  least,  a  brief  record  of  an  event 
which  caused  such  incalculable  destruction  of  property 
coupled  with  loss  of  life,  a  condensed  account  of  the  cause 
and  disastrous  effects  of  the  great  deluge  is  appended. 

It  may  uot  be  out  of  place  to  preface  the  account  with  a 
brief  reference  to  a  previous,  but  far  less  disastrous,  flood, 
which  visited  Deadwood  in  1878,  and  which  might  have 
served  as  a  warning  to  its  citizens  of  the  dangerous  possi- 
bilities of  the  situation.     This  flood  occurred  it  is  thouo;ht 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  491 

soon  after  the  phenomenal  snow-fall  in  the  spring  of  1878, 
which  no  one  living  in  the  Hills  at  the  time  is  liable  to 
forget.     Yet  it  may  have  been  somewhat  later  in  the  year. 

It  Avas  in  1878  that  the  swollen  streams  of  Deadwood 
and  Whitewood  rushed  down  the  sjulches  and,  after  unitint; 
their  waters  below,  carried  from  their  foundations  a  num- 
ber of  small  structures  that  had  encroached  too  closely  upon 
the  borders  of  the  latter  stream.  It  would  not  have  been 
quite  so  damaging,  perhaps,  hud  not  a  dam  that  had  be- 
come gorged  above  on  Whitewood  creek  given  way  to  the 
pressure,  letting  or  rather  precipitating  an  avalanche  of 
water  which  swept  in  great  waves  ten  or  more  feet  deep 
down  the  valley,  flooding  the  buildings  on  the  lower  levels;, 
and  undermining  the  Welch  House  on  Lee  street  to  such 
an  extent,  that  there  was  imminent  danger  of  its  toppling 
over  into  the  turbulent  stream. 

In  connection  with  this  flood  an  act  of  heroism  is  recalled 
which  is  worthy  of  record.  When  the  avalanche  of  water 
came,  a  rather  slightly  built  man  was  seen  struggling 
bravely  through  the  water  nearly  waist  deep  towards  a 
building  near  a  Deadwood  street  bridge,  in  the  door  of 
which  stood  knee-deep  in  water,  a  stout  woman  of  200 
pounds  avoirdupois,  calling  lustily  for  help.  Upon  reach- 
ing the  imperiled  woman,  he  clasped  his  arms  around  her 
ample  waist,  and  gallantly  but  pantingly  bore  her  safely  to 
higher  ground,  I  meanwhile  standing  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street  in  two  feet  of  water  laughing  heartily  at  the 
ludicrous  spectacle.  That  man  was  a  hero,  and  his  name 
was  John  Meade,  of  the  firm  of  Robert  Chew  &Co.,  located 
on  Lee  street,  whom  doubtless  many  of  the  old-timers  will 
remember.  As  the  incident  is  not  essential  to  this  history 
the  name  of  the  recued  woman  is  withheld.  But  I  have 
digressed  and  will  now  return  to  the  more  important  story 
of  the  flood  of  1883. 

It  was  in  the  early  part  of  May,  1883,  about  the  usual 
time  for  the  final  breaking  up  of  winter  in  the  Black  Hills, 
that    a    heavy   snowstorm    broke    over  the  northern  Hills 


492  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

which,  supplemented  by  a  warm  protracted  rain,  accelerated 
the  melting  of  the  unusually  heavy  snows  that  had  accu- 
mulated in  tbe  mountains  during  the  previous  winter, 
bringing  down  small  rivers  of  waters  through  hundreds  of 
gulches  and  ravines  into  the  main  streams,  which  went 
coursing  madly  on  down  the  narrow  valleys  to  the  doomed 
city,  sweeping  everything  in  its  pathway  and  leaving 
devastation  and  death  behind. 

About  the  middle  of  May  the  situation  became  alarming 
but  nothing  could  be  done  to  avert  the  impending  calamity, 
more  than  to  remove  valuable  property  to  places  of  safety. 
All  that  day  the  ever-increasing  volume  of  water  came 
rushing  down  from  above,  piling  up  its  freight  of  trees, 
roots,  branches,  lumber,  logs,  sluice  boxes,  cordwood,  and 
all  sorts  of  debris  against  the  Lee  street  bridge,  despite  the 
herculean  efforts  of  the  citizens  of  Dead  wood  to  clear  the 
way  of  obstructions.  Towards  evening  the  irresistible  cur- 
rent turned  and  found  for  itself  a  new  channel  through  the 
city.  By  order  of  the  city  authorities  a  number  of  build- 
ings that  stood  in  the  track  of  the  water  were  speedily  torn 
down  and  removed  to  prevent  its  further  spread.  All  the 
night  through,  with  the  appalling  roar  of  the  mighty  tor- 
rent sounding  in  their  ears  like  a  veritable  Niagara,  the 
firemen  and  numerous  citizens  struggled  valiantly  to  re- 
lieve the  gorged  condition  of  the  channels,  while  others 
were  engaged  in  removing  valuable  property  from  such 
buildings  as  seemed  destined  to  destruction.  That  was  a 
terrible  night,  the  like  of  which  the  people  of  Deadwood 
would  not  care  to  have  repeated. 

Comparatively  little  damage  was  done  by  the  flood  on 
Whitewood  creek  until  reaching  the  toll  gate  below  the 
mouth  of  Gold  Run,  where  the  toll  house  was  carried  from 
its  foundation,  and  its  three  occupants,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G. 
W.  Chandler,  and  Gustave  Holthausen,  drowned.  These 
unfortunate  people  had  left  the  building  but  had  returned 
to  save  some  household  goods,  when  the  house  with  its 
inmates    was    suddenly  swept  into  the  boiling  flood.     At 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


493 


Cleveland,  the  waters  overleaped  their  natural  barrier,  car- 
ryino-  awav  a  number  of  residences  that  stood  in  their 
course,  then  on  down  the  street  rushed  the  torrent,  which 


DEADWOOD  AFTER  THE  GREAT  FLOOD  OF  1883. 

soon  cut  its  way  around  theOaulkhead  that  had  been  erected 
to  protect  the  public  property  and  with  one  mighty  sweep 
struck  first  the  public  school  building,  then  the  Methodist 


494  THE    BLACK   HILLS;    OR, 

church,  picking  them  up  as  if  mere  toys  and  carrying  them 
with  their  foundations  in  broken  fragments  down  the  swift 
current. 

Meanwhile  Deadwood  creek  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
narrow  divide  came  rushing  frantically  down  the  gulch, 
bearing  on  its  turbulent  bosom  all  kinds  of  flotsam  from 
the  upper  camps,  as  if  eager  seemingly  to  join  its  twin 
sister  in  a  mutual  work  of  destruction  below. 

Although  the  several  little  hamlets  clustering  around 
Central  City  suffered  greatly  by  the  flood,  the  greatest 
damage  was  sustained  by  the  placer  mines  along  Deadwood 
gulch  ;  especially  heavy  was  the  loss  to  Messrs-  Allen  and 
Thompson,  whose  extensive  and  expensive  bed-rock  flume 
and  bulkhead  was  either  entirely  washed  away  or  irrecov- 
erably buried  beneath  an  accumulation  of  sand,  gravel,  and 
boulders. 

Alter  the  subsidence  of  the  flood,  Deadwood  and  its  en- 
vironments presented  a  very  sorry  aspect,  in  fact  all  of  the 
gulches  from  the  sources  of  the  streams  to  the  plains  was 
a  scene  of  complete  wreckage  and  destruction.  The  loss 
to  Deadwood  as  a  city,  and  to  its  individual  citizens,  was 
enormous,  as  besides  those  destroyed  by  the  authority  of 
the  city,  many  buildings,  as  well  as  other  valuable  property, 
were  entirely  swept  away,  and  many  more  were  badly  dam- 
aged  by  the  flood — amounting,  it  is  estimated,  to  an 
aggregate  loss  of  from  $250,000  to  $300,000. 

The  blow  was  a  telling  one  to  the  business  men  of  Dead- 
wood,  but,  with  wonderful  recuperative  powers  they  soon 
rallied  to  the  work  of  repairing  damages.  Bridges  were 
rebuilt,  streets  were  repaired  and  graded  up,  and  business 
buildings  were  placed  upon  a  more  substantial  foundation 
than  before  the  flood,  and  moreover,  to  gruard  against  anv 
future  escapades,  the  unruly  streams  were  curbed  with  an 
enormous  bulkhead  or  crib,  which  was  first  constructed 
from  Deadwood  street  to  Wall  street,  but  afterwards  ex- 
tended at  each  extremity,  until  now  it  is  over  a  mile  in 
lensth. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


495 


The  structure  is  built  up  from  bed-rock  of  heavy  timbers 
in  the  form  of  cribs  or  sections,  and  solidly  filled  in  with 
heavy  boulders  and  coarse  sand,  forming  a  perfect  safe- 
guard to  the  city  against  future  floods. 

A  new  two-story  school  building  of  brick  was  soon  after 
erected,  far  above  high-water  mark,  beyond  the  possible 
reach  of  floods.  Since,  another  school  buildinsr  has  been 
erected  at  Ingleside,  in  the  third  ward. 


496  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

NEW  DEADWOOD. 

Deadwood  has  largely  expanded,  both  in  material  growth 
and  commercial  importance,  since  its  recovery  from  the 
overwhelming  disaster  of  1883,  and  all  evidences  of  the 
terrible  baptism  of  fire  and  flood  through  which  it  has 
passed  have  long  been  obliterated.  The  narrow  valley 
has  been  widened,  fine  brick  and  stone  blocks  have  been 
erected  along  the  main  thoroughfares  of  the  greater  city, 
indicating  the  prosperity  of  its  merchants  along  the  differ- 
ent lines  of  trade,  extensive  commercial  enterprises  have 
been  established  within  the  city  limits,  which  justly  entitle 
it  to  the  distinction  of  being  the  commercial  metropolis  of 
the  Black  Hills;  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  could  not,  in  the 
nature  of  things,  be  otherwise.  Its  advantageous  situation 
in  the  practical  center  of  the  great  northern  gold  belt,  sur- 
rounded by  hills  whose  product  comes  to  the  valley  as 
naturally  as  comes  the  water  from  their  slopes,  and  the 
superior  facilities  afforded  for  the  treatment  of  all  kinds 
of  rebellious  ore,  with  which  they  abound,  makes  Dead- 
wood  a  commercial  necessity. 

deadwood' S    REDUCTION    PLANTS. 

To  its  finely  equipped  reduction  plants,  more  than  to 
any  other  factor,  Deadwood  owes  its  present  commercial 
prestige  and  importance.  As  is  well  known,  prior  to  about 
1890  the  greater  part  of  the  bullion  product  of  the  Hills 
was  derived  from  the  low  grade  deposits  of  the  free  mill- 
ing belt  which  yield  readily  to  the  ordinary  treatment  of 
stamp  mill  and  amalgamation,  while  vast  bodies  of  rich 
gold  ore,  carrying  metals  difiicult  of  separation,  were  lying 


ir.Xkii.    '         ""'Mt^^A 


LAST    HUNTING    GKOUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  4it7 

practically  valueless  in  the  ground  for  lack  of  proper  facili- 
ties, or  perhaps,  it  would  better  be  said,  want  of  knowl- 
edge of  their  correct  treatment.  Science  at  last  solved  the 
problem. 

By  the  continued  and  persistent  experiments  of  metal- 
lurgists, with  the  refractory  ores  of  the  Hills,  two 
processes  were  finally  discovered,  which  proved  satisfac- 
tory —  the  chlorination  and  pyritic  smelting  —  later  experi- 
ment adc'ing  a  third,  known  as  the  cyanide  process. 
These  invaluable  discoveries,  the  credit  for  which  is  largely 
due  to  Prof.  Franklin  R.  Carpenter,  of  Deadwood,  resulted 
in  the  immediate  erection  of  the  Golden  Reward  Chlorina- 
tion, and  the  Deadwood  &  Delaware  Smelting  plants. 

In  1887  the  Golden  Reward  Company  built  their  first 
plant,  at  an  approximate  cost  of  $200,000,  which  soon  after 
its  completion  was  destroyed  by  fire.  The  works  were  at 
once  rebuilt,  and  put  in  operation,  with  a  reducing  capacity 
of  125  tons  of  ore  per  day. 

The  Deadwood  &  Delaware  Smelting  Company  built  their 
first  plant  in  1888,  at  an  expenditure  for  buildings,  equip- 
ments and  mines  of  some  half  million  dollars,  and  put  it  in 
ope.  ition,  with  a  running  capacity  of  175  tons  of  ores  per 
day. 

On  the  night  of  March  10th,  1898,  as  if  by  the  irony  of 
fate  this  costly  plant  was  also  destroyed  by  fire,  but  was 
immediately  replaced  b}-  one  of  largely  increased  capacity, 
built  entirely  of  steel,  with  greatly  improved  facilities  for 
the  handling  and  treatment  of  refractory  ores.  This 
immense  pyritic  smelting  plant,  which  operates  largely 
though  not  exclusively  on  custom  ores,  the  company  having 
numerous  valuable  raining  properties  of  its  own,  produces, 
it  is  estimated,  about  $2,000,000  a  year  in  gold.  The 
institution,  including  smelter  and  mines,  is  under  the 
general  management  of  Piof.  Frank  R.  Carpenter,  of 
Deadwood. 

The  third  reduction  works  established  within  the  limits 
of   the  city  were  built  by  the  Gold  and  Silver  Extraction, 

32 


498  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Mining  &  Milling  Company,  and  employs  the  cyanide  pro- 
cess, the  plant  having  a  capacity  of  seventy-five  tons  per 
day.  These  three  plants,  each  employing  different  methods 
of  treatment,  together  with  the  Kildonan  Chloriuation 
works,  erected  in  1896  at  Pluma,  a  short  distance  above 
Dead  wood,  brings  the  aggregate  daily  capacity  of  reduction 
to  about  1,000  tons  per  day  of  ores  which  assay  all  the  way 
from  $15.00  to  $500.00  in  gold  per  ton,  —  ores  which, 
prior  to  the  establishment  of  these  great  enterprises,  were 
permitted  to  lie  idle  where  nature's  processes  placed  them. 
An  intricate  network  of  narrow-gauge  railroads  brings 
the  refractory  ore  product  of  the  prolific  districts  of  Bald 
Mountain,  Ruby  Basin,  and  Garden  City,  some  miles  away, 
and  Spruce  and  Two-Bit  gulches,  near  by,  to  these  works 
for  treatment,  ta.xing  them  to  their  full  capacity,  with  an 
ever  growing  demand  for  increased  facilities.  This  com- 
paratively  new  business  has  been  estimated  at  a  monthly 
aggregate  of  a  half  million  dollars. 

deadwood's  first  railroad. 

Up  to  1890,  Deadwood  notwithsanding  its  local  ad- 
vantages, lacked  one  of  the  chief  requisites  of  complete 
commercial  success,  —  outside  railway  communication. 
Until  that  time,  barring  the  inter-urban,  narrow-gauge 
short  line,  built  between'  Deadwood  and  Lead,  it  had  no 
railroad,  and  for  two  years  after  the  advent  of  the  first 
railroad  in  the  Black  Hills  it  seemed  somewhat  problem- 
atical, owing  to  its  geographical  inaccessibility,  whether 
the  line  would  be  extended  to  Deadwood  or  not.  After 
two  years  of  indecision,  however,  when  the  "  Burlington  " 
Railway  Company  turned  its  wonderful  line  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Black  Hills,  and  was  making  rapid  strides 
through  the  mountain  fastnesses,  towards  Deadwood,  engi- 
neering skill  speedily  solved  the  difficult  problem.  A 
branch  road  of  the  F.  E.  &  M.  V.  Railway  was  built  from 
Whitewood,  and  the  first  locomotive  with  passenger  car 
attached,  came   steaming  down    the  incline,   through    the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  499 

long  tunnel  into  Deudvvood,  on  the  29th  chiy  of  December, 
1890.  The  line  was  later  extended  to  the  refactory  ore 
district,  around  Bald  Mountain,  about  nine  miles  west  and 
south  of  Dead  wood. 

On  the  28th  day  of  January,  1891,  nearly  a  month  later, 
the  first  passenger  train  of  the  Burlington  &  Missouri  road, 
arrived  over  their  line  at  Deadwood.  Subsequently  the 
Burlington  &  Missouri  Company  constructed  a  branch  road 
from  Englewood,  on  the  main  line,  to  Spearfish,  about 
fourteen  miles  northwest  from  Deadwood,  and  perhaps  no 
more  wonderful  feat  of  engineering  skill  was  ever  accom- 
plished. A  trip  over  this  marvelous  piece  of  mountain 
railway  —  up  the  dizzy  heights  to  the  extreme  summit  of 
Bald  Mountain,  around  through  a  labyrinth  of  lofty  crags 
in  perfectly  bewildering  curves,  and  a  plunge  down  into 
and  through  the  most  beautiful  canyon  in  the  world  (the 
Spearfish),  is  a  revelation  of  grandeur  and  beauty  unsur- 
passed, and  the  treat  of  a  lifetime.  The  road  winds  its 
sinuous  way  through  some  of  the  most  enchanting  scenery 
to  be  found  even  in  this  land  of  scenic  wonders,  —  some- 
times doubling  on  its  track,  over  a  route  nearly  forty  miles 
in  length  to  reach  its  terminus,  only  fourteen  miles  away, 
by  the  traveled  highway.  As  one  looks  down  from  the 
summit  of  Bald  Mountain  on  the  mines  far  below,  and  the 
numerous  narrow-gauge  railways  winding  around  the  bases 
of  the  hills,  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  that  but  a  few  years 
ago,  the  whole  visible  expanse  was  an  unbroken  solitude, 
into  whose  wild  depths  it  seems  a  mystery  that  man  should 
penetrate. 

The  inter-urban  narrow-gauge  short  line  connecting  Dead- 
wood  and  Lead,  was  built  and  equipped  in  the  fall  of  1890 
at  a  cost  of  $300,000  and  is  believed  to  be  the  first  piece 
of  strictly  commercial  railway  constructed  in  the  Black 
Hills. 

The  promoter  of  the  enterprise  which  brought  the  two 
most  important  towns  of  the  northern  Hills  into  speedy 
communication  was  a  company  composed  of  J.  K.  P.  Miller 


500  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Joseph  Swift,  W.  H.  Swift,  Joseph  Ogdeu,  C.  H.  Graham, 
and  V.  P.  Sweetman.  Deadwood,  though  the  last  of  the 
early  towns  of  the  Hills,  except  Spearfish,  to  be  reached 
by  outside  railway,  is  to-day  the  railroad  center  of  the 
Black  Hills. 

The  public  spirit  of  the  municipality  has  kept  swift  pace 
with  its  commercial  growth  and  prosperity,  as  its  well  graded 
streets,  its  complete  system  of  sewerage,  and  excellent  elec- 
tric lighting  system  fully  attest.  Besides  its  five  churches, 
its  central  and  ward  school  buildings,  its  two-story  brick 
Courthouse,  and  three-storied  City  Hull,  it  has  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  location  of  a  two-storied  U.  S.  Govern- 
ment Assay  building. 

Moreover,  the  private  enterprise  of  its  citizens  has  kept 
fully  abreast  of  its  public  thrift.  Two  daily  newspapers, 
the  Pioneer  Times  and  Independent^  and  one  weekly  pub- 
lication, the  Mining  Review,  represent  the  press.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  that  the  Deadsvood  Daily  Pioneer  Times 
enjoys  the  proud  distinction  of  being  a  consolidation  of  the 
first  weekly  and  the  first  daily  newspapers  ever  published 
in  the  Black  Hills,  the  Pioneer  having  been  established  as 
a  weekly  on  June  8th,  1876,  and  the  Times  as  a  daily  on 
May  7lh,  1877,  the  consolidation  being  effected  on  May 
15th,  1897.  The  paper  is  now  conducted  under  the  judi- 
cious and  capable  business  management  of  W.  H.  Bonham, 
and  is  edited  by  Porter  Warner,  who  had  been  editor  and 
proprietor  of  the  Daily  Times  from  the  date  of  its  birth 
to  that  of  its  dissolution  as  an  independent  publication. 

The  Indejyendent  was  established  in  1889  by  Freeman 
Knowles,  but  the  enterprise  is  now  under  the  control  of  a 
company,  of  which  W.  O.  Temple,  of  Deadwood,  is  Presi- 
dent;  Judge  Joseph  B.  Moore,  Vice-president,  and  M.  L. 
Fox,  Secretary.  The  paper  is  now  under  the  editorial 
management  of  M.  L.  Fox,  with  G.  T.  Jameson  as  Business 
Manager. 

The  Mining  Review ,  a  paper  devoted  to  statistics  and  other 
information  relating  to  the  mines  and  mining  industries  of 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THK    DAKOTAIIS.  501 

the  Hills,  is  published  by  A.  W.  Merrick,  the  first  news- 
paper man  in  the  Black  Hills.  (See  Chapter  of  First 
Events.) 

BANKING    INSTITUTIONS. 

Deadvvood  now  sustains  two  National  banks  —  both 
flourishing  institutions,  whose  business  reaches  up  into  the 
millions  annually.  The  oldest  of  these  is  the  First  National 
Bank,  whose  history  dates  from  away  back  in  1878.  This 
bank,  which  is  entitled  to  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 
legitimate  banking  institution  established  in  the  Black 
Hills,  received  its  charter,  and  opened  its  doors  for  busi- 
ness, on  the  site  which  it  nosv  occupies,  on  the  first  day  of 
September,  1878,  with  L.  R.  Graves  as  its  first  President 
and  S.  N.  Wood,  formerly  of  the  private  banking  firm  of 
Stebbins,  Wood  &  Post,  as  its  first  Cashier.  In  1879  it 
changed  management.  The  building  first  occupied  was 
destroyed  —  all  save  the  vault,  by  the  fire  of  1879,  arid  was 
replaced  by  the  two-story  brick  structure  occupied  by  the 
Firrit  National  Bank  to-day.  It  now  has  a  capital  stock  of 
$100,000.00,  a  surplus  of  $1 50,000.00,  and  undivided  profits 
to  the  amount  of  $11,277.64  and  is  officered  as  follows: 
O.  J.  Salisbury,  President  ;  T.  J.  Grier,  Vice-President, 
and  D.  A.  McPherson,  Cashier.  The  ability  of  its  man- 
agement is  evidenced  in  the  large  amount  of  surplus  held, 
exceeding  by  one-third  its  capital  stock. 

The  American  National  Bank  opened  for  business  on 
January  2,  1895.  It  has  now  a  paid-up  capital  of  $50,- 
000.00,  a  surplus  of  $10,000.00,  and  resources,  totaling 
$689,382.40.  Its  present  officers  are:  Harris  Franklin, 
President;  John  Treber,  Vice-President;  Ben  Baer,  Cash- 
ier. Although  a  young  institution,  its  property  rests 
upon  a  solid  foundation,  and  the  success  it  has  recorded 
thus  far  is  a  guarantee  for  the  future  under  its  conservative 
supervision. 

On  February  14th,  1898,  "  The  Deadwood  Labor  Union," 
was  organized   with  the    following    officers,   viz.  :    James 


502  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Tuley,  President;  Thos.  Brown,  Vice-President;  Thos. 
Carroll,  Financial  Secretary;  Andrew  Oleson,  Recording 
Secretary;  Frank  Irons,  Treasurer;  and  a  membership  of 
forty. 

The  Deadwood  Labor  Union  building,  a  commodious 
two-story  and  basement  structure,  with  stone  foundation 
and  press-brick  front,  covering  an  area  of  eighty  by  thirty 
feet,  was  completed  in  the  early  part  of  1899,  at  a  cost  of 
$7,000  to  the  Union  which  owns  the  property.  The  growth 
of  the  organization  has  been  phenomenal,  having  increased 
within  the  limits  of  a  year  from  forty  to  four  hundred  and 
thirty-six  members. 

In  a  volume  like  this  it  is  plainly  impracticable  to  note 
in  detail  the  many  and  various  kinds  of  business  r — profes- 
sional, mercantile,  etc.,  with  which  Deadwood  is  supplied; 
but  well  appointed  and  well  patronized  hotels  indicate  their 
popularity,  and  the  tasteful  display  of  all  kinds  of  goods  in 
the  windows  of  dry  goods,  clothing,  grocery,  drug,  fruit, 
and  other  stores  bespeak  the  prosperty  of  its  merchants, 
and  the  quality  of  trade  along  the  different  lines  of  trafhc. 

The  bar  of  Deadwood,  numbering  about  eighty,  is  com- 
posed of  some  of  the  ablest  and  shrewdest  lawyers  in  the 
Wide  West,  where  legal  acumen  is  the  almost  universal  rule 
and  not  the  exception,  among  whom  are  such  eminent  jurists 
as  Hons.  Granville  G.  Bennett  and  Gideon  C.  Moody,  who 
have  both  balanced  to  a  nicety  the  scales  of  justice  from 
the  Black  Hills  bench,  or  eloquently  pleaded  for  even- 
handed  justice  at  the  Black  Hills  bar,  ever  since  the  first 
establishment  of  law  in  1877,  and  who  have  been  intimately 
identified  with  its  subsequent  history. 

Judge  Bennett  came  to  Deadwood  from  Yankton,  under 
appointment  by  President  Hayes  to  establish  regular 
courts  in  the  Black  Hills,  and  assume  jurisdiction  thereof, 
in  April,  1877.  He  occupied  the  bench  of  the  First  Cir- 
cuit of  the  Territorial  District  Court,  of  which  the  Black 
Hills  then  formed  a  part,  until  September,  1878,  when  he 
resigned  to  accept  the  nomination  as  representative  of  the 


SOL.    STAU, 

Deadwood'js  Popular  Major, 


LAST    I1UXTINC4    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  503 

Black  Hills  to  the  United  States  Congress,  to  which  posi- 
tion he  was  elected.  At  the  close  of  the  session,  Judofe 
Bennett  returned  to  Deadwood,  where  he  has  since  devoted 
himself  to  the  practice  of  his  profession,  an  honored  mem- 
ber of  the  Deadwood  bar. 

Judge  G.  C.  Moody,  then  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law 
in  Yankton,  Dakota  Territory,  was  appointed  to  the  bench 
made  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Judge  Bennett,  by 
President  Hayes,  in  October,  1878,  which  he  occupied  for 
his  full  term  of  four  years.  In  1885  he  was  chosen  United 
States  Senator  by  the  Legislature  of  the  provisional  State 
Government  of  South  Dakota,  but,  while  himself  and  col- 
league, Alonzo  J.  Edgerton,  were  accorded  especial  con- 
sideration in  Congress,  they  were  not  admitted  to  the  full 
privileges  of  members  of  that  body.  On  October  17th, 
1889,  he  and  R.  F.  Pettigrew  were  chosen  United  States 
Senators  by  the  iirst  State  Legislature  of  South  Dakota, 
which  convened  at  Pierre  on  the  15th  of  that  month. 
About  1883  or  1884,  Judge  Moody  succeeded  Judge  A.  D. 
Thomas,  as  attorney  for  the  great  Homestake  Mining  Com- 
pany, which  important  position  he  still  holds. 

Among  other  members  of  the  present  Deadwood  bar, 
who  have  practiced  in  the  Black  Hills  courts  since  their 
establishment  in  1877,  are  Frank  J.  Washabaugh  and  Edwin 
Van  Cise,  whose  names  have  been  familiar  to  the  people  of 
the  Black  Hills  ever  since  they  became  an  entity. 

Frank  J.  Washabangh  has  many  times  represented  the 
people  of  the  Black  Hills,  both  in  the  Territorial  and  State 
Legislatures,  and  it  will  perhaps  be  conceded  that  no  man 
in  the  Hills  to-day  has  been  more  intimately  identilied  with 
every  public  movement  for  the  advancement  of  the  Black 
Hills  and  the  State.  First,  Mr.  Washabaugh  is,  in  a 
double  sense,  a  pioneer,  having  come,  a  young  law  graduate 
from  Lafayette  College,  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  to  Yankton, 
the  then  capital  of  Dakota,  in  the  early  territorial  days, 
where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession.     In  1876  he  was  allured  to  the  Black  Hills 


504  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

by  the  reported  gold  discoveries,  settling  first  in  Pennington 
County,  where  he  engaged  in  placer  mining  on  Spring 
creek,  meanwhile  practicing  his  profession  before  miners' 
meetings,  the  only  recognized  courts  in  those  days  and 
from  whose  findings  there  was  no  appeal.  Mr.  Wash- 
abaugh  held  the  positions  of  First  Prosecuting  Attorney 
for  Pennington  County  and  Clerk  of  the  United  States 
and  Territorial  Courts. 

He  was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  Territorial  Council 
and  State  Senate  from  the  Black  Hills  for  seven  consecutive 
terms,  during  which  time  he  was  largely  instrumental  in 
securing  the  passage  of  several  bills  of  importance  to  the 
people  of  difterent  localities  in  the  Hills.  He  was  the 
author  of  the  bill  introduced  and  passed  by  the  Territorial 
Legislature,  calling  a  constitutional  convention  for  the 
southern  half  of  the  Territory,  and  the  memorial  to  Con- 
gress for  the  admission  of  that  portion  of  the  Territory  to 
Statehood.  Mr.  Washabaugh  is  the  present  County  Judge 
of  Lawrence  County. 

Edwin  Van  Cise  came  to  the  Black  Hills  from  Mount 
Pleasant,  Iowa,  Nvhere  he  had  practiced  law,  reaching 
Dead  wood  on  May  11th,  1877.  He  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  the  Black  Hills  courts,  at  the  first  term  held  by 
Judge  Bennett,  in  the  temporary  courthouse  on  Sherman 
street,  and  at  once  opened  an  office  for  practice  on  that 
street.  In  August  he  became  engaged  in  a  mining  enter- 
prise that  took  him  to  Pactola,  Pennington  County,  where 
in  October  of  that  year  he  was  chosen  County  Attorney  of 
Pennington  County.  In  January,  1878,  he  qualified  and 
opened  an  office  in  Rapid  City  where  he  remained  until 
March,  1879,  then  returned  to  Deadwood  and  formed  a 
partnership  with  John  R.  Wilson,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Van  Cise  &  Wilson.  This  partnership  continued  until 
1892,  when  it  was  dissolved,  since  which  time  Mr.  Van 
Cise  has  been  in  practice  by  himself  —  a  conspicuous  figure 
in  the  bright  galaxy  composing  the  Deadwood  bar. 

Of   the  present  medical  fraternity  .of    Deadwood,    the 


FRANK   J.    WASHABAUGH,    DPJADWOOD,    S.    D. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  505 

longest  established  practitioner  is  Dr.  L.  F.  Bal)C(ick,  who 
tirst  opened  his  office  for  practice  about  August,  187(),  since 
which  time  he  has  been  in  continuous  practice.  Dr.  Bab- 
cock  was  selected  as  first  coroner  of  Lawrence  County  in 
the  spring  of  1877,  and  was  subsequently  elected  to  the 
same  position  at  various  times.  In  1879  he  was  made  ex- 
amining surgeon  for  pensions,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
for  several  years.  It  is  now  recalled  that  Dr.  Babcock  rode 
away  from  Dead  wood  more  than  once  during  the  years  of 
1876  and  1877  in  the  capacity  of  surgeon,  with  parlies  in 
the  pursuit  of  Indians,  to  care  for  those  who  might  be 
perforated  by  Indian  bullets. 

The  offices  of  several  mining  companies,  which  make 
Deadwood  their  headquarters;  the  real  estate  and  insur- 
ance offices,  etc.,  form  no  insignificant  factors  in  the  whole 
business  economy  of  the  commercial  metropolis  of  the 
Hills.  The  municipality  in  1897  had  an  assessed  valuation 
of  $1,241,420.00  and  contained  a  population  of  6,290 
souls. 

In  the  whirl  of  business,  and  the  almost  universal  devo- 
tion to  monetary  pursuits,  the  citizens  of  Deadwood  have 
by  no  means  lost  sight  of  the  amenities  of  life,  as  is  demon- 
strated by  its  numerous  clubs  of  various  kinds. 

It  has  literary  clubs  for  the  women;  commercial  clubs, 
athletic  clubs,  and  gun  clubs  for  the  men  ;  and  musical  and 
social  clubs  for  both.  Of  the  former  there  are  at  least 
three,  to  wit :  The  Thursday,  "  Round  Table  "  and  Culture 
clubs,  composed  of  some  of  the  city's  most  cultured  and 
advanced  women,  who,  it  is  said,  were  among  the  first  in 
the  Black  Hills  to  catch  the  infection  of  the  almost  uni- 
versal, shall  I  call  it  mania?  —  for  club  organization  and 
federation  among  women.  These  women's  clubs  and 
associations  are  doing  much  in  cultivating  a  taste  for 
what  is  best  in  our  literature,  among  those  who  come 
within  the  influence  of  the  charmed  circles,  in  lifting 
the  woman  of  this  last  decade  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury up  to  a  higher  intellectual  plane,  and,  doubtless,  the 


506  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

world  at  large  is  happier  and  better  for  their  efforts.  But, 
oh  !  my  dear  club  women,  what  would  your  grandmothers 
and  great-grandmothers  have  thought  and  said  of  this  utter 
disregard  of  their  teachings  and  cherished  traditions,  of  all 
this  "  fuss  "  about  "  letters?  "     What,  indeed  ? 

While  there  are  many  charming  homes  on  Forest  Hill 
and  Ingleside,  Deadwood  is  not  what  can,  by  the  most  lib- 
eral stretch  of  the  imagination,  be  called  a  beautiful 
city.  Its  irregular  outlines,  its  angular  streets,  its  narrow 
valleys,  traversed  by  the  muddiest  of  muddy  streams,  and 
its  gold-reduction  plants,  place  it  outside  the  limits  of  the 
beautiful  and  lovely.  On  the  other  hand,  the  terraced 
slope  of  Forest  Hill,  which  affords  pleasant,  though  seem- 
ingly precarious  home-sites  amid  its  native  pines,  far  above 
the  busy  haunts  of  traffic  ;  its  romantic  drives,  leading  out 
in  different  directions  into  the  Hills,  and  the  lofty  lookout 
on  its  outer  barriers,  gives  it  an  aspect  that  is  delightfully 
picturesque. 

Deadwood  has  not  yet  wholly  outgrown  the  cosmopolitan 
characteristics  of  its  youth,  as  a  stroll  along  its  business 
thoroughfares  on  any  pleasant  day  will  make  obvious  to 
the  least  critical  observer.  Included  in  its  population  is  a 
considerable  element  of  Chinese,  who  are  rapidly  becoming 
assimilated  in  dress,  manners,  etc.,  with  American  customs. 
Besides  their  usual  occupation  as  laundrymen  and  restaur- 
ateurs, there  are  merchants  and  doctors  who  conform  to 
American  fashions,  speak  the  English  tongue  fluently,  and 
send  their  children  to  the  public  school.  However,  while 
the  men  modify  their  style  to  conform  with  American  fash- 
ions—  in  all  save  their  "  cues,"  to  which  they  religiously 
cling,  the  women  and  girls  tenaciously  adhere  to  their 
native  costumes.  Dignified,  demure  little  almond-eyed, 
olive-skinned  maidens,  in  the  very  acme  of  Chinese  fashions, 
may  be  seen  decorously  making  their  way  to  school,  in 
striking  contrast  to  their  rosy-cheeked,  buoyant,  frolick- 
ing *'  Melican  "  sisters. 

Across  the  valley,  on  a  broad  shelf  about  800  feet  above 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS. 


507 


Whitcvvood  Creek,  is  "  Mount  Moriah  "  Cemetery,  where, 
mid  rocks  and  rills  and  shaded  dells,  repose  the  city's  dead  ; 
where  lie  buried  not  a  few  of  the  brave  men  who  bore  the 
brunt  of  the  hard  battle  for  civilization  against  the  murder- 
ous foe;  where  also,  mute  witnesses  of  two  of  Dcadwood's 
early  tragedies,  are  the  graves  of  "  Wild  Bill  "  and  Henry 
Weston  Smith  —  first  Black  Hills  missionary. 

Back  of  the  cemetery,  like  a  faithful  sentinel  keeping 
guard  over  the  abodes  of  the  dead,  stands  White  Rocks, 
from  whose  bald  summit,  2,000  feet  above  the  level  of  its 
base,  may  be  obtained  a  comprehensive  view  of  the 
environing  camps,  and  the  mysterious  hills  and  vales  for 
miles  around. 


508  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


CHAPTEK    XXXIY. 

HISTORY  OF  HOMESTAKE  MINES. 

Near  the  head  of  Gold  Rua,  a  tributary  of  Whitewood 
creek,  about  three  miles,  as  the  crow  flies,  southwest  of 
Deadwood,  at  an  elevation  of  over  5,000  feet  above  the 
ocean's  plane,  is  situated  Lead,  the  home  of  the  most 
extensive  gold  mining  industry  in  the  world.  It  had  its 
auspicious  birth  twenty-two  years  ago  in  the  discovery  of 
gold-bearing  quartz  in  the  great  "lead"  from  which  it 
derived  its  name,  and  though  but  one  year  past  its  legal 
majority,  it  has  already  become  the  most  populous  city, — 
not  only  of  the  Black  Hills,  but  of  South  Dakota,  west  of 
the  Missouri  river. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1876,  soon  after  the  discovery  of 
placer  diggings  on  Gold  Run  Gulch,  which  did  not  uni- 
formly pay,  the  attention  of  miners  was  turned  to  pros- 
pecting for  quartz,  and  a  number  of  promising  mines  were 
discovered.  Among  the  tirst  of  these  was  the  Homestake 
mine,  which  was  discovered  and  located  by  Fred  and  Moses 
Manuel  or  Emanuel,  Alex.  Engh,  and  Henry  Harney, 
becoming,  either  by  location  or  purchase,  joint  owners  in 
the  property.  A  little  later,  the  Highland  was  discovered 
by  M.  Cavanaugli,  and  the  Golden  Star  by  Smoky  Jones. 

Soon  after  the  location  of  the  Homestake,  the  Emanuel 
brothers  located  the  "Old  Abe"  mine,  which,  according 
to  the  statement  of  those  familiar  with  the  early  history  of 
the  mines,  was  previously  discovered  by  J.  B.  Pearson, 
making  it  probably  the  first  quartz  mine  discovered  in  that 
locality. 

During  the  summer  of  1876  the  original  owners  of  the 
Homestake  mine    prosecuted  a  vigorous   development    of 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  509 

their  property,  which  improved  in  strength  and  value  with 
every  square  foot  of  development  work  done,  and  to  still 
farther  test  the  value  of  their  mine,  the  Emanuel  brothers 
erected  an  arastra  a  short  distance  below,  near  Penninfi^ton. 
and  put  the  crude  pulverizer  in  operation  on  the  ore,  which 
proved  to  their  complete  satisfaction  that  they  were  the 
possessors  of  property  of  immense  value.  In  the  fall  of 
1876  Engh  and  Harney  sold  100  linear  feet  of  their  divided 
interest  in  the  mine  to  H.  B.  Young  for  $300.00,  after 
which  each  continued  active  development  work  on  their 
respective  holdings  until  the  fall  of  1877. 

During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1877  two  custom  mills 
were  put  in  operation  on  the  ores  of  the  quartz  mines  in 
the  vicinity  with  highly  satisfactory  results.  The  first  was 
a  ten-stamp  mill,  later  increased  to  twenty  stamps,  built 
by  the  Racine  Mining  and  Milling  Company  on  a  site  near 
where  the  Deadwood  Central  Depot  now  stands.  The 
Racine  Mill,  which  was  built  for  the  aforesaid  company  by 
Geo.  Beemer,  commenced  droi)ping  its  twenty  stamps  on 
April  15th,  1877. 

The  second,  called  the  Enos  Mill,  after  its  owner,  was 
built  by  Mr.  Enos  in  July,  1877.  Mr.  Enos  had  acquired 
Harney's  interest  of  325  feet  of  the  Homestake  mine,  the 
ore  from  which,  in  part,  supplied  his  mill.  Subsequently, 
when  the  Homestake  company  absorbed  the  most  valuable 
and  productive  mines  in  the  vicinity,  both  of  these  mills 
were  torn  down  and  the  machinery  sold  and  removed  to 
other  regions  of  the  Hills. 

Meanwhile  glowing  reports  had  reached  and  attracted  the 
attention  of  prominent  California  capitalists,  among  whom 
were  J.  B.  Haggan  and  Geo.  Hearst,  who  with  the  object 
of  investigating  the  matter,  decided  to  dispatch  an  expert 
to  the  Black  Hills  for  that  purpose.  Accordingly  about 
June,  1877,  L.  D.  Kellogg,  a  practical  miner,  was  sent  to 
examine  the  gold-bearing  region  in  the  vicinity  of  Lead, 
clothed  with  discretionary  power  to  negotiate  for  the 
purchase  of  such  property  as  proved  satisfactory  to  him. 


510  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

After  a  careful  examination  of  the  mines  he  was  so  well 
satisfied  with  tlie  result  of  his  investigation  that  he  secured 
a  short  option  on  the  portion  of  the  H.omestake  owned  by 
the  Emanuel  brothers  and  Engh,  and,  it  is  alleged,  the 
Deadwood  Mine,  for  $50,000  and  $80,000  respectively,  and 
immediately  returned  to  San  Francisco  to  report  to  his 
employers.  On  the  following  day  he  started  on  his  return 
to  the  Hills  accompanied  by  Mr.  Hearst,  who  at  once  pur- 
chased the  property  for  the  aforesaid  sums  according  to  the 
terms  of  the  option. 

Su})sequently,  Mr.  Young  sold  his  100  feet  to  the  com- 
pany for  $10,000,  and  Mr.  Enos,  who  had  purchased  Mr. 
Harney's  interest,  sold  to  a  Davenport,  Iowa,  mining  and 
milling  company,  which,  in  turn,  sold  to  the  Homestake 
Company  for  $45,000,  making  the  price  paid  for  the 
Homestake  Mine  No.  1,  $105,000. 

Mr.  Hearst  returned  to  San  Francisco  well  pleased  with 
his  venture,  and  in  connection  with  J.  B.  Haggan  and 
Lloyd  Tevis,  without  unnecessary  delay  purchased  an 
eighty-stamp  mill,  hoisting  machinery,  etc.,  and  shipped 
the  same  by  rail  to  Sidney,  Neb.  The  contract  for  freight- 
ing the  mill  and  machinery  from  Sidney  to  Lead  City  was 
awarded  to  the  firm  of  Cuthbertson  &  Young,  at  the  rate  of 
six  cents  per  pound,  which  amounted  to  a  total  of  $33,000. 
The  greater  part  of  the  machinery  was  landed  safely  on 
the  ground  by  the  first  of  January,  1878.  A  portion, 
however,  Avhich  was  freighted  in  by  ox  train,  was  caught 
in  the  great  snowstorm  of  March,  1878,  near  Crook  City, 
where  every  poor  bovine  perished,  and  did  not  reach  its 
destination  until  well  on  toward  the  first  of  April.  The 
mill  was  built,  the  machinery  placed  and  the  eighty  stamps 
were  put  in  operation  about  the  first  of  July,  1878,  and 
that  was  the  beginning  of  the  great  Homestake  consolidated 
company's  operations. 

The  Homestake  Company  was  soon  after  organized,  with 
a  nominal  capital  of  $2,500,000,  when  other  valuable 
mines  were  added  to  the  original  purchase  made  by  Mr. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE   DAKOTAHS.  511 

Hearst.  The  Golden  Star,  the  Highhmd,  and  Old  Abe 
mines  were  successively  acquired  by  the  company,  the 
tirst  named  in  December,  1877,  the  second  in  Mayor  June, 
1878,  and  the  Old  Abe  during  the  latter  part  of  the  same 
year.  Early  in  1880,  the  Dead  wood  Terra  Company  was 
absorbed,  and  the  De  Smet  Company  later.  From  time  to 
time  since,  additional  mineral  lands  have  been  purchased, 
until  to-day  the  major  part  of  the  gold-bearing  area  in  the 
vicinity  of  Lead  is  owned  and  controlled  by  the  Homestake 
Company. 

The  chief  element  of  success  in  all  gold-reduction  opera- 
tions is  a  bountiful  supply  of  water,  without  which  the  rich- 
est mines  in  the  world  are  practically  worthless.  Recog- 
nizing this  fact,  the  company  and  its  stockholders  directly 
or  indirectly  shrewdly  secured,  at  an  early  date,  every 
available  miner's  inch  of  that  essential  fluid,  capable  of 
being  utilized  in  its  operations  or  in  supplying  the  outside 
demand.  From  the  headwaters  of  nearly  all  the  principal 
streams  in  the  region  round  about,  their  waters  were  con- 
ducted through  many  miles  of  ditch  and  flume  at  enormous 
expense,  to  vast  receptacles,  convenient  to  the  points  where 
the  water  was  designed  to  be  utilized,  —  receptacles  from 
which  the  principal  towns  in  the  vicinity  have,  for  nearly 
two  decades,  received  their  main  water  supply. 

Availing  itself  to  the  fullest  extent  of  its  privileges  under 
the  raining  laws,  the  company  selected  a  large  area  of  fine 
timber  land  lying  to  the  southward  of  Lead  City,  and,  for 
the  purpose  of  transporting  the  vast  amount  of  timber  re- 
quired for  the  mines  and  fuel  for  the  mills,  constructed  a 
narrow-gauge  railway  across  the  deep  ravines,  over  the 
streams  and  u[)  the  deep  slopes,  a  distance  of  perhaps  four- 
teen miles,  to  a  point  where  a  station  was  established  called 
Woodville.  As  the  land  was  stripped  of  its  timber,  the 
line  and  army  of  woodchoppers  pushed  farther  and  farther 
into  the  heavily  timbered  territory,  leaving  behind  a  forest 
of  unsightly  stumps.  Subsequently  the  line  was  extended 
from  Brownsville  —  the  last  wood  station  —  to  Piedmont, 


512  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

to  connect  with  the  F.  E.  &  M.  V.  R.  R.  and  called  the- 
Fort  Pierre  &  B.  H.  Railway.  This  lino,  constructed  by 
the  Homestake  Company,  was  the  first  piece  of  steam  rail- 
way built  in  the  Black  Hills. 

Since  the  building  of  the  Homestake  eighty-stamp  mill 
in  1878,  the  operations  of  the  company  have  increased  to 
vast  proportions.  The  acquisition  of  new  mines  was 
speedily  followed  by  the  construction  of  extensive  mills, 
whose  original  capacities  have  been  from  time  to  time  in- 
creased until  to-day  the  Homestake  Consolidated  Company 
own  seven  enormous  plants  of  the  following  respective 
capacities,  to  wit:  — 

At  Lead  the  Homestake,  or  old  eighty-stamp  mill,  200  ; 
Golden  Star,  140,  and  Highland,  200  stamps;  at  Terraville, 
the  Deadwood  Terra,  two  mills  of  eighty  stamps  each,  160  ; 
the  Caledonia,  eighty  stamps  ;  at  Central,  the  DeSmet,  120 
stamps,  making  a  total  of  900  stamps,  which  produce  an 
annual  output  of  over  $4,000,000  of  gold  bullion  for  the 
company,  or,  at  a  conservative  estimate,  $75,000,000  since 
operations  began  in  1878. 

The  product  of  the  Homestake  mines,  so  far,  has  been 
from  what  is  regarded  in  the  Black  Hills  as  low  grade  ore, 
averaging  from  four  to  six  dollars  per  ton  of  gold,  which 
demonstrates  that  a  mine  does  not  necessarily  have  to  be 
hish  srade  to  be  an  enormous  producer  of  net  values.  It 
is  not,  therefore,  because  of  the  richness,  but  because  of 
the  vastness  of  the  ore  body,  and  the  gigantic  scale  upon 
which  it  is  operated,  and  upon  the  systematic,  economic 
and  strictly  business  principles  upon  which  these  operations 
are  conducted,  that  the  Homestake  mines  have  been  the 
largest  and  most  continuous  dividend-payers  in  the  world. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  for  the  first  ten  or  twelve 
years  of  their  operations,  not  an  ounce  of  the  concentrates 
contained  in  the  ore  was  saved,  not  a  single  non-payment  of 
dividend  by  the  company  has  been  recorded  from  the  first. 
Strangely  enough,  no  attempt  was  made  to  recover  the 
gold  in   the  concentrates  until  about  1890,  bv  reason  of 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  513 

which,  it  is  reasonable  to  conclude,  that  not  less  thun  a  half 
million  of  dollars  of  gold  was  carried  down  with  the  current 
to  the  Gulf,  or  caught  on  the  bars  along  the  way. 

Although  a  liberal  scale  of  wages  has  been  adopted  by 
the  company,  every  department  of  the  vast  industry  is  con- 
ducted on  such  a  plan  of  economics  as  will  insure  the 
most  profitable  results.  While  the  whole  complicated 
machinery  is  under  the  supervision  of  a  general  superin- 
tendent, each  branch  of  the  business,  the  offices,  mills, 
mines,  stores,  and  shops,  is  under  the  immediate  charge 
of  an  expert  in  his  line,  to  whom  a  princely  salary  is  paid, 
who  looks  after  all  the  minute  details  of  the  branch  under 
his  supervision.  Every  cog  and  every  wheel  in  the  vast 
human  machinery  of  the  great  industry,  is  thus  compelled 
to  perform  its  assigned  function  with  the  punctuality  and 
regularity  of  clock  work. 

Of  the  various  branches  of  the  Homestake  industry  not 
the  least  important  and  responsible  is  that  of  timbering 
the  mines.  It  requires  the  skill  and  genius  of  a  master 
mechanic,  to  so  adjust  the  timbers  as  to  preclude  the 
"awful"  possibility  of  their  giving  way  and  letting  the 
whole  superincumbent  mass  of  rock  down  upon  the  army 
of  miners  working  beneath. 

When  you  are  told  that  2,000,000  running  feet  of  timber 
are  used  annually  in  timbering  the  Homestake  mines,  you 
may,  perhaps,  feel  inclined  to  doubt  the  accuracy  of  the 
statement.  If  so,  make  your  last  will  and  testiment ;  bid 
a  solemn  good-bye  to  your  friends,  then  take  a  seat  in  the 
"  cage  "  and  descend  down,  down  700  feet  into  the  black- 
ness of  the  mysterious  under- world,  where  the  light  of  day 
never  reaches;  visit  the  long  tunnels  which  penetrate  far 
into  the  mountain  in  every  direction  on  the  different  levels, 
and  see  the  great  high  cavities  built  up  and  supported  by  a 
forest  of  heavy  solid  timbers,  skillfully  braced,  and  you 
will  be  convinced.  It  will  be  interesting,  too,  to  watch 
for  a  while  the  hundreds  of  grimy  miners,  who,  faintly 
discernible  by  the  glimmering  lights  in  the  dark  tunnels, 

33 


514  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

are  busy  with  pick  and  shovel,  and  drill  and  hammer, 
blasting  and  breaking  the  ore  into  pieces  and  loading  it  on 
the  train  of  small  cars  to  be  transported  to  the  mills  out- 
side. By  this  time  you  are,  doubtless,  satisfied  and  glad  to 
ascend  into  the  glorious  sunshine  of  the  upper  world. 

The  mills  of  the  combined  company  have  an  aggregate 
milling  capacity  of  from  2,500  to  3,000  tons  of  ore  per 
day.  The  ore  is  submitted  to  daily  tests  by  assay,  so  that 
the  management  knows  to  a  nicety  the  average  daily  pro- 
duction per  ton.  The  mills  for  the  greater  part  are  con- 
nected with  the  niines  by  narrow-gauge  railways  which 
carry  the  ore  in  small  cars,  of  the  capacity  of  about  one 
ton  each,  to  the  upper  story  of  the  mill,  where  it  is  dumped 
into  the  crushers,  which,  in  turn,  discharge  the  crushed  ore 
through  chutes  into  the  ore  bins,  from  which  it  is  fed  into 
the  batteries. 

To  carry  on  the  various  branches  of  the  vast  enterprise 
requires  that  a  large  force  of  men  be  kept  on  the  company's 
pay-rolls.  Besides  the  men  in  the  mills  and  mines,  a  local 
engineer  is  employed,  whose  duty  it  is  to  make  all  the 
plans  and  surveys  for  the  mines,  an  expert  assayer,  to 
keep  the  management  informed  as  to  the  value  of  the  ores 
milled,  and  numerous  clerks,  carpenters,  machinists,  black- 
smiths, etc. 

There  are  now  about  1,500  men  employed  by  the  Home- 
stake  Consolidated  Company,  who  receive  wages  ranging 
from  $3,50  to  $2.50  per  day. 

The  wages  paid  underground  employees  are  $3.50  for 
miners,  $3.00  for  mine  laborers,  and  $2.50  for  surfiice 
laborers.  Exceptionally  skilled  miners  who  supervise  the 
work  are  paid  much  more,  and  perhaps  poor  workmen  re- 
ceive less.  However,  it  is  believed  that  the  management 
regards  a  poor  workman  dear  at  any  price  and  prefers  pay- 
ing good  WMges  to  skilled  men  in  any  capacity.  A  good, 
faithful  employee  can  hold  his  position  all  the  year  round, 
and,  what  is  better  still,  the  company  never  misses  a  pay- 
day,—  never. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND  OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


515 


Improved  facilities  in  the  way  of  machinery  are  added  by 
the  management  as  the  business  of  the  comi)any  demands. 


The  most  notable,  as  well  as  noticeable,  improvements  of 
recent  date  are  the  magnificent  steel  building  and  steam 
hoisting  works,  erected  over  what  is  known  as  the  Ellison 


516  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

shaft,  on  the  south  side  of  Gold  Run  gulch,  opposite  the 
mills;  and  the  hue  steel  viaduct,  900  feet  in  length,  con- 
nectino;  the  works  with  the  mills  on  the  north  side.  A 
three-compartment  shaft  was  sunk  to  the  depth  of  400  feet, 
and  the  200,  300,  and  400-feet  levels  of  the  mine  connected 
therewith.  The  gold-laden  ore  is  lifted  by  a  powerful  pair 
of  hoisting  engines  from  the  unseen  depths  below,  then 
loaded  onto  small  cars  and  carried  across  the  viaduct  to  the 
mills. 

During  the  year  ending  June  1st,  1897,  100  stamps  were 
added  to  the  old  Homestake  mill,  and  a  powerful  twin 
compound  condensing  engine  to  run  the  enlarged  establish- 
ment. 

According  to  the  statement  of  Financial  Secretary  F.  G. 
Drum,  in  his  annual  report  to  the  President  of  the  Home- 
stake  Company,  the  net  proceeds  for  the  year  ending  June 
1st,  1897,  from  ore  milled  at  the  mills  at  Lead  were;  Bars, 
878  to  940  inclusive,  $1,843,501;  net  proceeds  concen- 
trates, $45,938.16,  amounting  to  a  total  of  $1,889,439.41. 
The  amount  of  ore  milled  was  395,530  tons,  yielding  at 
the  rate  of  $4.77  in  gold  per  ton,  and  a  small  percentage 
of  silver. 

The  Homestake  and  associate  properties  are  sending  out 
into  the  commercial  world  $4,000,000  annually,  and  accord- 
ing to  a  conservative  estimate  by  Superintendent  Grier, 
there  is  ore  enough  in  sight,  even  with  the  increased  facili- 
ties, to  keep  the  mills  running  for  twenty  years  to  come. 
Since  the  mines  began  producing  in  1878,  the  company  has 
paid  to  its  stockholders  in  monthly  dividends  the  handsome 
sum  of  $12,000,000  approximately. 

DURANGO  LODE. 

Outside  of  the  Homestake  mining  properties  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Lead,  there  is  at  least  one  individual  holding,  from 
which  its  fortunate  owners  are  realizing  vast  wealth.  This 
is  what  is  known  as  the  Durango  Lode,  which  has  some- 
thing of  a  history.     The  mine  was  discovered  in  1877,  and 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    TIIK    DAKOTAHS.  517 

patented  by  the  Durango  Gold  Mining  Company,  which, 
after  working  out  a  few  pockets  of  rich  free  gold  ore, 
practically  abandoned  the  property  as  worthless.  It  was 
finally  sold  for  taxes  to  James  Cnsick,  Tim  Foley,  and 
John  L.  Sullivan.  The  Durango  Company  brought  suit 
to  set  aside  the  tax  deed,  resulting  in  a  compromise  by 
which  the  owners  paid  $1,000  for  the  company's  title. 
The  mine  is  an  immense  siliceous  ore  deposit,  running  from 
$75  to  $100  in  gold  per  ton.  The  property  is  being  worked, 
and  regular  shipments  of  the  refractory  stuff  are  made  to 
Kansas  City  for  treatment. 

LEAD  CITY. 

The  history  of  Lead  City  dates  back  to  the  early  spring 
of  1876,  when  placer  operations  began  on  Gold  Run  Gulch, 
and  is  co-extensive  with  the  great  mining  industry  of  the 
Homestake  Company,  growing  with  its  growth  and  strength- 
ening with  its  strength.  The  first  discovery  of  placer  gold 
in  that  gulch  was  made  by  Thomas  E.  Carey,  who  came 
over  the  divide  from  Deadwood  gulch  in  February,  1876, 
and  found  the  first  shining  particles  in  the  creek  just  below 
the  large  settling  dam  of  the  Homestake  Company.  Mr. 
Carey  also  built  the  first  structure  on  the  gulch,  a  small 
log  cabin  which  stood  — a  venerable  landmark  of  the  early 
days  —  for  twenty-two  years,  when  it  was  torn  down  to 
make  room  for  a  more  modern  and  pretentious  edifice. 

Shortly  after  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  gulch,  a  pros- 
pector, who  passed  current  among  the  miners  by  the 
suggestive  sobriquet  of  "Smoky  Jones" — *' Smoky  " 
presumably  was  not  his  baptismal  name  —  made  a  prelimi- 
nary, or  pocket  compass  survey,  and  with  the  aid  of 
others,  laid  out  a  town-site  along  the  gulch,  and  named  it 
Washington,  in  honor  of  the  little  boy  who  could  not  tell 
a  lie.   (  ?) 

The  first  grocery  store  erected  on  the  site  was  built, 
tradition  says,  by  Antoine  Weber,  who  a  few  years  later 
carried  on  business  at  Rochford  in  the  central  Hills,  where 


518  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OK, 

the  writer  knew  him  well.  Among  the  very  first  to  open 
business  in  this  birth-place  of  Lead  City  was  P.  A.  Gus- 
hurst,  now  the  efficient  mayor  of  the  flourishing  munici- 
pality, ami  one  of  its  most  influential  and  enterprising 
citizens.  The  town  grew  but  slowly  at  first,  only  a  few 
scattered  log  cabins,  occupied  by  the  miners  and  prospect- 
ors of  the  vicinity,  being  built  during  the  first  year  of  its 
existence. 

In  the  spring  of  1877,  however,  when  the  first  attempts 
at  gold  quartz  reduction  were  made,  the  town  received  a 
new  impetus  and  began  gradually  to  expand.  A  new  sur- 
vey was  made  by  a  local  surveyor,  J.  D.  Mclntyre,  by 
which  the  lines  of  the  old  site  were  extended  farther  up 
toward  the  head  of  Gold  Run,  when  the  business  for  the 
most  part  left  the  narrow  confines  of  the  gulch  below,  to 
build  along  the  bases  of  the  adjacent  hills  above,  and  the 
homes  soon  began  to  climb  the  dizzy  heights.  Higher  and 
higher  up  the  steep  slopes  they  climbed,  year  by  year, 
until  to-day  the  environing  hills  are  densely  covered  from 
base  to  summit  with  the  homes  of  thousands  of  thrifty, 
prosperous  people  —  homes,  in  good  part,  of  the  hardy, 
muscular  men,  who  are  daily  and  nightly  busy  with  pick, 
shovel,  and  hammer,  in  the  miles  of  slopes  and  tunnels  of 
the  different  levels,  reaching  down  700  feet  beneath  the 
surface.  The  name  given  the  new  town  was  Lead  City, 
so  called  because  of  the  great  leads  traversing  the 
surrounding  hills. 

The  first  frame  building  in  Lead  City  was  erected  on  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Mill  streets,  by  Geo.  Beeraer,  in  the 
spring  of  1877.  The  building  was  afterwards  owned  and 
occupied  by  John  Daly  as  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  was,  a 
few  years  since,  and  perhaps  is  still  standing.  The  second 
frame  structure  was  a  building  known  as  the  Jentes'  Corner, 
where,  tradition  says,  the  first  dance  in  Lead  City  was  had 
on  the  nisrht  of  Julv  4th,  1877.  At  this  initial  dcince  there 
were  seven  women  in  attendance,  who  constituted  the  total 
adult  female  population  of  Lead  City  at  that  date. 


LAST    IIUNTIXG    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  519 

The  tiist  brick  structure  in  Lead  City,  knowu  as  the 
•'  Brick  Store,"  was  built  by  the  Ilomestakc  Co.  in  1880. 
This  was  followed  successively  by  E.  May's  store,  Dr. 
Lowie's  drug  store  and  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows'  Hall, 
constructed  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Bleeker  streets. 
This  substantial  brick  structure  is  still  used  for  the  lodge 
meetings  of  the  two  orders. 

The  first  school  opened  in  Lead  City  was  a  tuition  school 
taught  by  a  Miss  Graham,  in  a  small  log  cabin  located  on 
North  Bleeker  street,  in  the  fall  of  1877. 

From  early  Black  Hills  chronicles,  which  are  verified  by 
living  witnesses,  the  following  items  have  been  gathered  :  — 

The  first  hotel  in  Lead  City  was  the  Miners'  Hotel,  a 
frame  building  erected  by  Jas.  Long,  in  June,  1877. 

The  first  exclusive  grocery  store  was  opened  by  Mealy  & 
Smith  in  1877:  the  first  dry  goods  by  Silver  Bros.;  the 
first  meat  market  by  Thos.  Jones  ;  first  express  and  delivery 
by  Wesley  Akxander  ;  first  millinery  by  Mrs.  John  Bragg  ; 
first  clothing  store  by  P.  Cohen  ;  first  furniture  and  under- 
taking by  S.  R.  Smith.  The  first  woman  was  Mrs.  Carter, 
the  first  child  Josie  Carter  ;  first  baby  born,  Pearly  McCoy  ; 
first  newspaper,  Lead  City  Telegraph. 

The  first  justice  of  the  peace  was  Henry  Hill,  who  was 
elected  in  June,  1878,  and  the  first  case  tried  by  him  was  a 
criminal  one,  June  25th.  The  first  bank  was  established  in 
1878,  in  charge  of  Hy.  John  Ainley. 

The  first  church  erected  in  Lead  City  was  built  by  the 
Catholic  society  during  the  spring  of  1878,  with  Rev. 
Father  Mackin  as  its  first  pastor.  This  church  was  fol- 
lowed successively  by  the  Congregational  society  organized 
August  27th,  1878,  and  the  Methodist  society  organized  on 
the  15th  of  November,  1880,  by  Rev.  W.  D.  Phifer.  The 
latter  first  held  services  in  the  old  opera  house,  afterwards 
ia  the  old  school  building  and  later  in  the  first  Miners' 
Union  Hall.  In  1881  the  society  began  the  erection  of  a 
church  building,  which,  when  nearing  completion,  was 
blown  down  by  a  violent  storm.     A  new  building  was  soon 


520  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

constructed  out  of  the  ruins,  which,  on  the  11th  of  August, 
1881,  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  Foss. 

The  Episcopal  and  Presbyterian  societies  were  next 
organized,  both  of  which  have  rapidly  increased  in  mem- 
bership. The  former,  it  is  alleged,  has  now  the  hirgest 
church  edifice  in  the  Black  Hills. 

Lead  City's  first  opera  house  was  built  by  John  Brooke 
on  Main  between  Mill  and  Bleeker  streets,  in  1878,  and  the 
Langrishe  Comedy  Company  gave  the  first  theatrical  per- 
formance in  Lead  City  in  this  "  house"  during  the  same 
year.  The  lower  floor  of  the  building  was  and  is  still  used 
as  a  saloon,  but  the  old  hall  on  the  second  floor,  where 
once  rang  the  plaudits  of  the  appreciative  crowds,  is  now 
utilized  for  lodging  rooms. 

In  the  spring  of  1877,  soon  after  quartz  mining  opera- 
tions began,  the  miners  of  the  camp  combined  for  mutual 
protection  and  for  the  purpose  of  securing  for  the  men 
engaged  in  the  hazardous  occupation  of  mining  for  wages, 
a  just  compensation  for  their  labors,  and  the  right  to  use 
the  fruits  of  their  toil,  without  let  or  hindrance,  or  dicta- 
tion from  their  employers,  and  to  otherwise  protect  their 
mutual  interests  a  union  of  miners  was  organized  with  Pat 
O'Grady  as  its  first  president. 

In  1878  the  brotherhood  erected  their  first  Miners' 
Union  Hall,  which  served  its  purpose  for  fifteen  years,  or 
until  the  organization  grew  beyond  its  capacity.  The  first 
floor  of  the  old  hall,  which  still  stands  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Main  and  Bleeker  streets,  is  now  occupied  by 
two  stores,  while  the  second  floor  is  the  present  head- 
quarters of  the  Salvation  Army. 

In  1894  the  new  Miners'  Union  building  or  block,  sit- 
uated at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Walnut  streets,  was  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $68,000.00  and  is  owned  by  the  Lead  City 
Miners'  Union.  It  is  a  fine  three-story  building  con- 
structed of  variegated  sandstone,  cut  from  the  quarries  of 
the  hills  adjacent  to  the  city.  On  the  second  floor  of  this 
immense  structure  is  the  present  Lead  City  Opera  House, 


LAST    HI  NTING    GROUND    OF    THK    DAKOTAIIS.  521 

which  is  the  Inrgest  in  the  State,  having  a  seating  capacity 
of  1,500.  The  third  floor  is  separated  into  two  commo- 
dious rooms,  one  for  the  Miners'  Union  Meeting,  the  other 
for  the  use  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and 
Knights  of  Pythias  orders,  while  the  lower  Hoor  is  let 
for  business  purposes.  The  "  Union  "  has  a  present 
membership  of  750. 

The  first  fire  company  of  Lead  City  was  organized  in 
1878.  Hose  Company  No.  1  was  formed  in  1879,  and  No. 
2  was  added  in  1888.  The  department  was  organized  in 
1889  with  David  Morgan  as  Chief. 

The  present  department  is  composed  of  Lead  City  Hose 
Company  No.  1,  Lead  City  Hose  Company  No.  2,  and  the 
Albert  Hose  Company,  which  organization  for  efficiency  is 
second  to  none  in  the  Black  Hills. 

In  1878  the  Lead  City  water  system  was  established  by 
the  Black  Hills  Canal  and  Water  Supply  Company  under 
contract  with  the  town  corporation,  the  exact  terms  of 
which  agreement  were  not  obtainable.  The  water  supply 
is  drawn  from  the  headwaters  of  Whitetail,  Little  Rapid, 
and  Castle  creeks,  and  carried,  at  a  tremendous  cost, 
through  many  miles  of  underground,  ditch  and  pipe  to  vast 
reservoirs,  constructed  on  the  hills  north  and  south  of  the 
city,  and  thence  distributed  by  pipes  to  its  consumers. 
While  the  volume  of  water  is  sufficient  to  supply  the 
demands  of  the  people,  and  for  amalgamating  use  at  the 
mills,  there  appears  to  be  no  supply  for  sewerage  purposes, 
except  an  occasional  "  flush,"  as  it  is  called. 

In  June,  1878,  the  first  district  school  meeting  in  Lead 
was  held  and  the  following  officers  elected,  viz. :  Henry 
Hill,  clerk  ;  Thos.  Pryor,  treasurer  ;  F.  Abt,  director.  The 
first  public  school  was  taught  during  the  summer  of  1878, 
in  a  room  over  Belliveau's  store,  by  Prof.  Dean,  with  an 
attendance  of  thirty-two  pupils,  —  sixteen  girls  and  sixteen 
boys.  The  September  term  of  1878  was  taught  by  Piof. 
Wheeler,  assisted  by  Julia  B.  Snyder,  in  a  house  on  Pine 
street,  opposite  the  old  hose  house.     The  school  of  1879 


b22  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

and  1880  was  conducted  by  Prof.  Darling,  assisted  by  Miss 
L.  Chapman,  in  a  house  located  on  Bleeker  street,  where 
J.  R.  Searles'  residence  formerly  stood. 

The  schools  were  held  in  rented  buildings  until  1881, 
when  the  Sister's  Hospital,  located  on  the  ground  occupied 
by  the  Lead  school  building  of  to-day,  was  purchased  by 
the  school  board,  and  transformed  into  a  suitably  arranged 
schoolhouse,  which  served  the  purpose  until  the  completion 
of  the  new  building  in  189G. 

The  teachers  in  the  first  public  school  building  were:  J. 
S.  Thompson,  principal,  and  E.  J.  Bishop,  Miss  Anna 
Graham,  and  Miss  Burnham,  assistants.  In  1882  Mr. 
Thompson  was  re-elected  principal  and  Ed.  Darling  and 
Misses  Kogers  and  Barry,  assistants.  In  1883  E.  J.  Bishop 
was  elected  principal,  but  shortly  after  resigned,  on  account 
of  sickness,  when  Miss  Rogers  was  appointed  to  fill  the 
vacancy,  with  Miss  Kate  Burry  and  Pauline  Pincus  as 
assistants. 

From  1884  to  1891  the  schools  wore  successively  con- 
ducted by  R.  H.  Driscoll  for  1884-5;  C.  J.  Green  for 
1886-7  ;  L.  A.  Fell  for  1887-8,  and  Prof.  Frazee  from  1888 
to  1896.  From  1891  to  1896  the  schools  were  under  the 
supervision  of  Prof.  Kimmel,  who  was  succeeded  by  the 
present  incumbent.  Prof.  C.  M.  Pinkerton. 

Since  the  opening  of  the  first  public  school  in  1878  the 
number  of  pupils  has  increased  from  thirty-two  to  an  en- 
rollment of  1,103,  for  the  term  beginning  September,  1898, 
and  from  one  teacher  to  a  corps  of  twenty-three  instructors 
including  superintendent. 

In  1896  the  present  elegant  two-storied  brick  school 
structure  which  is  conceded  to  be  the  finest  and  best 
equipped  building  of  the  kind  in  the  Black  Hills,  was 
erected  on  the  site  of  the  old  building  on  west  side  of  south 
Wall  street,  at  a  cost  of  $31,000.00  for  which  bonds  of  the 
district  were  issued  by  the  Board  of  Education.  The  old 
structure  which  yet  stands  in  the  rear  is  still  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  new  building.     Besides  the  Central  build- 


!l 


*5  "^f 


''^^^\*:.:r>hlA^ 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  523 

iu2    there    is    what    is    called    the    "  Washinorton    School 
House,"  in  the  Fourth  Ward. 

In  1890,  after  an  eventful  career  of  nearly  fourteen 
years  as  a  private  corporation,  Lead  City  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  it  was  high  time  to  assume  the  dignity  of  a 
municipality,  even  if  it  did  impose  some  new  responsibil- 
ities. In  justice  to  herself,  as  the  greatest  gold  reduction 
camp  in  the  world,  she  felt  —  and  justly  so  —  that  she  was 
entitled  to  recoo-nition  as  something  more  than  a  mere  town 
on  the  map  of  the  Black  Hills.  So,  in  the  year  aforesaid 
Lead  City,  by  general  consent,  was  incorporated  under  the 
general  laws  of  the  State  of  South  Dakota,  and  became  a 
city  de  facto  as  well  as  in  name.  At  this  time  the  append- 
age "City  "  was  dropped,  and  the  new  organization  called 
simply  Lead.  The  city  was  divided  into  four  wards,  each 
to  be  represented  by  two  members  in  the  City  Council. 
The  personnel  of  the  first  City  Council  was  as  follows:  — 

Cyrus  H.  Enos,  Mayor;  Charles  Barclay,  Ernest  May, 
P.  A.  Gushurst,  Daniel  J.  O'Donnell,  John  K.  Searle, 
Frank  Abt,  Jr.,  Thomas  Connors,  Michael  Cain,  Aldermen. 
Lead  has  eight  religious  organizations,  viz.  :  Catholic, 
Congregational,  Methodist,  Episcopal,  Presbyterian,  Lu- 
theran, Bai)tist,  and  Seventh  Da}^  Adventists. 

In  the  line  of  secret  societies,  it  is  believed  that  Lead 
breaks  the  record  in  the  Black  Hills,  and  if  there  are  any 
who  doubt  the  statement,  a  glance  over  the  following  roster 
will  convince  the  most  incredulous.  I  shall  merely  give 
the  initials  and  leave  it  to  the  reader  to  decipher  the  puzzle: 
A.  F.  and  A.  M. ;  R.  A.  M. ;  O.  E.  S.  ;  I.  O.  O.  F.  ;  K. 
of  P. ;  R.  S. ;  A.  O.  U.  W. ;  D.  of  H. ;  M.  W.  A. ;  R.  N. 
of  A.  ;  S.  of  St.  G. ;  G.  A.  R. ;  W.  R.  C.  ;  H.  F.  ;  W.  of 
W.;   I.  O.  R.  M.;  O.  S.  C. 

Since  its  first  formation  in  1877,  the  Miners'  Union  of 
Lead  has  grown  into  a  formidable  combination  of  members, 
yet  it  is  gratifying  to  note  that  we  never  hear  of  *'  strikes  " 
and  "lockouts"  or  any  kind  of  friction  between  em- 
ployers or  employees  in  Lead. 


524  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OH, 

EMERGENCY   HOSPITAL. 

Doubtless  the  finest  and  best  equipped  institution  of  its 
kind  in  the  Bhick  Hills,  and  in  fact  west  of  Omaha,  is 
Emergency  Hospital  at  Lead.  Emergency  Hospital,  which 
was  built  and  equipped  by  the  Homestake  Company,  was 
designed,  as  its  name  implies,  as  an  asylum  where  skillful 
medical  and  surgical  treatment  and  careful  nursing  could 
be  speedily  administered  to  the  sick  and  injured  employees 
of  the  company.  The  hospital  is  provided  with  complete 
clinical  appurtenances,  and  a  number  of  experienced  nurses 
to  look  after  the  needs  of  patients  under  the  directions  and 
advice  of  the  hospital  physician.  However,  any  person 
seeking  admission  for  treatment  is  taken  in  upon  the  pay- 
ment of  fixed  rates. 

To  provide  funds  for  the  maintenance  of  the  institution 
an  assessment  of  $1.25  per  month  is  levied  on  the  wages  of 
each  employee  of  the  company,  which  entitles  him  to  the 
full  privileges  and  benefits  of  the  hospital  without  addi- 
tional cost. 

HEARST    FREE    LIliRARY. 

Another  institution,  worthy  of  especial  note,  is  the 
Hearst  Free  Library.  This  institution,  which  is  highly 
appreciated  by  its  people,  was  established  in  Lead  in  1894, 
by  Mrs.  P.  A.  Hearst,  widow  of  the  late  United  States 
Senator  Geo.  Hearst  of  California,  for  the  especial,  though 
not  exclusive,  benefit  of  the  employees  of  the  Homestake 
Company,  of  which  Mr.  Hearst  was  one  of  the  organizers. 

The  library  was  first  installed  in  the  new  Miners'  Union 
Opera  House,  where  it  was  kept  until  the  completion  of 
the  present  two-story  brick  and  stone  library  building, 
adjoining  the  company's  brick  store  on  the  north  in  1896. 
The  upper  floor  of  this  building  is  elegantly  fitted  up 
with  handsomely  ornamented  iron  and  easy  chairs,  piano, 
tables,  etc.,  —  in  fact,  nothing  has  been  omitted  by  the 
generous   founder,  to   make  the  room  an  attractive  resort 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    UAKOTAHS. 


525 


where  the  company's  employees  and  others  can  spend  their 
leisure  hours  in  pleasant  companionship  with  entertaining 
authors.  One  side  of  the  long  room  is  lined  with  glass 
covered  cases,  containing  4,000  volumes  of  standard  litera- 
ture—comprising history,  biography,  science,  art,  poetry 
and  fiction;  besides  which  a  large  number  of  our  best 
periodicals  are  regularly  found  upon  the  tables.  An  aver- 
age of  about  175  books  are  daily  drawn  from  the  library, 
and  an  equal  number  of  persons  daily  visit  the  room,  —  and 
indeed  it  is  a  pleasant  room  to  visit. 

One  of  the  conditions  imposed  by  Mrs.  Hearst,  is  the 
holding  of  monthly  musicals  for  the  entertainment  of  the 
employees,  to  whom  tickets,  limited  in  number  to  the 
capacity  of  the  room,  are  alternately  issued,  thus  insuring 
to  all  equal  opportunities.  These  delightful  functions  are 
conducted  under  the  directions  of  the  librarian,  who  must 
needs  be,  not  only  a  connoisseur  in  music,  but  himself 
gifted  in  the  glorious  art  of  song. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

Two  enterprising  daily  newspapers,  but,  by  the  way,  of 
radically  different  political  creeds,  the  Tribune  and  the  Call, 
at  present  reproduce  the  important  daily  happenings  in 
and  around  the  metropolis  of  the  "  belt."  The  oldest  of 
these,  the  Lead  Daihj  Tribune,  is  something  of  a  veteran, 
having  been  first  established  by  Messrs.  Edwards  and 
Pinneo,  away  back  in  1881.  It  is  now  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Henry  Schraitz,  and  is  a  staunch  Republican  sheet 
in  politics.  The  Lead  Daily  Evening  Callsvas  established 
by  John  W.  Jones,  in  August,  1893,  and  is  now  owned  and 
edited  by  A.  C.  Potter,  who  conducts  the  publication 
politically,  in  the  interest  of  the  fusion  party. 

The  first  National  Bank  of  Lead  was  first  established 
as  a  State  bank,  under  the  laws  of  South  Dakota,  in  1890, 
In  1891  it  was  converted  into  a  National  Bank,  numbering 
4,r>31  on  the  oflicial  roster  at  Washington.  The  bank  has 
a  capital  stock  of  $50,000  ;  surplus  and  profits,  $18,679.30; 


526  THE    BLACK    HILLS:    OR, 

circulation,  $11,250;  deposits,  $430,(344.95,  wiih  total 
liabilities  and  resources  of  $510,574.25,  and  is  officered  as 
follows:  — 

T.  J.  Grier,  President;  Ernest  May,  Vice-President  ;  R. 
H.  Driscoll,  Cashier;  J.  E.  Corcoran,  Assistant  Cashier ; 
Directors,  W.  E.  Smead,  P.  A.  Gushurst,  Dr.  J.  W.  Free- 
man, Ernest  May,  T.  J.  Grier.  The  names  of  these  gen- 
tlemen are  held  in  the  highest  honor  in  financial  circles, 
and  the  fact  that  they  are  representative  business  and  pro- 
fessional men,  well  acquainted  with  banking  methods,  is  a 
guaranty  of  the  success  of  the  comparatively  young  institu- 
tion. 

Besides  the  buildings  already  referred  to.  Lead  has  a 
large  number  of  handsome  business  blocks;  every  kind  of 
business  common  to  cities  of  its  class,  as  well  as  the  dif- 
ferent professions,  are  well  represented,  in  short,  public 
thrift  and  private  enterprise  appears  to  have  kept  even 
pace  with  the  growth  of  its  great  mining  industry. 

Notwithstandinir  the  fact  that  for  a  time  the  growth  and 
general  development  of  Lead  was  greatly  retarded  by  the 
doubt  cast  upon  the  validity  of  the  corporation's  title  to 
the  ground  upon  which  it  stands,  it  has  increased,  until  to- 
day it  ranks  second  in  wealth  and  tirst  in  population  in  the 
Black  Hills,  having  an  actual  valuation  of  $787,262,  and  a 
population  numbering  8,000  or  more  people. 

Ethnologically  Lead,  like  all  great  raining  centers,  is 
composite,  nearly  every  nationality  under  the  sun  being 
represented  in  its  population.  There  are  English,  Swedes, 
Norwegians,  Finlanders,  Italians,  Slavonians,  French, 
Germans,  Irish,  Scotch,  and  perhaps  a  sprinkling  of  other 
nationalities  —  Irish-Americans  predominating.  Of  the 
voting  population  300  are  English  ;  300  Swedes,  Norwe- 
gians, and  Finlanders;  150  Slavonians,  and  perhaps  150 
other  naturalized  citizens,  making  a  total  of  900  voters  of 
foreign  birth,  or  on  that  basis,  over  one-half  of  its  entire 
population.  Perhaps  no  town  in  the  State  has  so  large  a 
proportion    of     foreign    born    residents,    the    majority    of 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS. 


527 


whom,  however,  are  pretty  well  Amercunized  both  in 
habits  and  sentiment,  and  the  rising  generation  are  Yankee 
to  the  core. 

Many  of  the  foreigners  are  born  musicians,  for  which 
reason  Lead  is  a  pre-eminently  musical  city.  Cornish, 
Swedish,  and  German  choral  and  glee  clubs,  and  brass 
bands  are  numerous.  The  Cornishmen  are  especially 
accomplished  musicians,  have  superb  voices,  and  know  how 
to  use  them,  and  much  the  same  may  be  said  of  the 
German,  Swedish,  and  Italian  element. 

Moreover  these  muscular  men  are  extremely  fond  of  all 
kinds  of  athletic  sports,  foot  ball,  base  ball,  horse-racing 
and  wrestling  —  Cornish  wrestling  being  an  especially 
favorite  pastime.  In  short  the  employees  of  the  Home- 
stake  Mining  Company  are  a  thrifty,  prosperous  class. 
They  for  the  greater  part  own  their  own  homes,  receive 
o:ood  wao;es,  live  lavishlv,  and  altoo-ether  make  the  most 
of  life. 


528  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


CHAPTBK     XXXy. 

CENTRAL  CITY. 

Situated  about  two  miles  southwest  of  Deadwood,  near 
the  geographical  center  of  a  cluster  of  some  half  dozen 
small  mining  camps,  which  form  an  almost  continuous 
town,  is  Central  City,  the  once  booming  mining  center  of 
upper  Deadwood  gulch.  The  town  comprises  Gayville, 
the  oldest  of  the  group,  where,  it  is  alleged,  the  first  cabin 
in  the  gulch  was  built  by  Alfred  Gay  in  the  fall  of  1875. 
South  Bend,  Central,  Anchor  Cit\s  Golden  Gate,  and  Black- 
tail,  each  of  which  were  more  or  less  potent  factors  in  the 
economy  of  the  whole. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Central  is  located  the  DeSmet  120- 
stamp  mill  belonging  to  the  Homestake  Company;  and  the 
famous  DeSmet  mine,  from  which,  tradition  says,  the 
Indians  procured  the  handfuls  of  glittering  metal,  shown 
the  reverend  missionary,  in  whose  honor  it  was  named. 

The  first  cabins  erected  in  Central  are  said  to  have  been 
built  by  Wm.  Lardner  and  E.  McKay  in  December,  1875. 
The  earliest  quartz  mines  discovered  near  Central  were  the 
Giant  and  Erin,  one  located  in  November,  and  the  other  in 
December,  1875  ;  the  discoverers  being  John  B.  Pearson 
and  Frank  Bryant.  The  history  of  the  first  placer  dis- 
coveries in  the  gulch  has  been  already  recorded. 

It  appears  that  a  large  mining  community  had  settled  on 
the  site  before  a  name  was  selected  for  the  town.  At  a 
public  meeting  held  on  January  20th,  1877,  the  town 
asserting  its  individuality  was  formally  christened  Central 
City,  I.  V.  Skidmore,  of  Central  City,  Colorado,  standing, 
sponsor.  At  this  meeting  Wm.  Lardner  presided  as  chair- 
man, A.  H.  Loudon  acted  as  secretary,  and  Geo.  Williams 
was  chosen  city  recorder. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


529 


The  first  newspaper  established  in  Central  was  the 
Herald,  a  daily  paper  pul)lished  by  J.  S.  Bartholomew 
from  1877  to  1881.     About  the  same  time  the  Chamjnon, 


CENTRAL   CITY   IN    1878. 


a  weekly  paper,  was  established  by  Chas.  Collins,  and  pub- 
lished until  1878.  The  Enterprise,  also  a  daily  paper,  was 
published  by  T.  J.  Webster  from  1881  to  1882. 

34 


530  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

CHURCHES. 

The  first  religious  services  held  in  Central  were  con- 
ducted by  Judge  David  B.  Ogden,of  Anchor  City,  in  1877, 
the  meetings  being  first  held  at  Golden  Gate.  In  1878  the 
Reverend  Judge,  assisted  by  other  gentlemen  of  the  camp, 
conducted  a  religious  revival  in  a  school  building  which 
stood  on  the  lot  afterwards  occupied  by  the  American 
Hotel.  Soon  after  the  sale  of  the  schoolhouse  compelled 
them  to  find  another  place,  when  the  meetings  were  held  in 
the  Opera  House.  In  November,  1878,  Rev.  Jas.  Williams, 
of  the  Northwest  Iowa  Conference,  was  sent  to  the  Black 
Hills,  at  which  time  the  first  quarterly  meeting  of  the 
Methodist  Church  was  held.  In  1879  a  Congregational 
society  was  organized  and  soon  after  a  church  structure 
was  built  by  Rev.  B.  F.  Mills.  A  Catholic  society  with  a 
large  following  was  organized,  and  a  buildinsr  erected  at  an 
early  date. 

Central  has  been  credited  with  being  the  first  town  in 
the  Hills  to  establish  a  school  under  the  public  school  sys- 
tem of  Dakota  Territory,  having  opened  a  term  in  the 
early  fall  of  1877,  with  Dolph  Edwards  as  teacher.  It  is 
claimed  by  some,  however,  that  the  opening  of  the  school 
at  Crook  City  antedated  it  by  about  two  weeks.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Central  was  in  the 
van  in  the  establishment  of  public  schools  in  the  Black 
Hills. 

In  passing  through  the  cluster  of  hamlets  on  upper 
Deadwood  gulch,  some  of  which  are  now  nearly  deserted, 
one  can  hardly  realize  that  once  the  region  thereabouts 
was  thickly  dotted  with  stamp  mills  in  active  operation, 
but  such  is  the  fact,  as  the  following  partial  list  of  mills 
that  were  kept  in  more  or  less  continuous  operation  during 
the  years  1877-8  proves:  — 

The  Black  Hills  Gold  Mining  Company,  twenty  stamps; 
Alpha  Mining  Company,  ten  stamps  ;  Pearson  Mill,  twenty 
stamps;  Sheldon  Edwards  Mill,  twenty  stamps;   McLaugh- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  531 

lin  &  Cassel's  Custom  Mill;  Thompson's  Custom  Mill, 
twenty  stumps;  Brown  &  Thum's  Mill;  Central  Gold 
Mining  and  Milling  Company's  Custom  Mill  ;  Lancaster 
Mill,  twenty-five  stamps;  Wolzmuth  &  Goewey's  Mill, 
fifteen  stamps  ;  Franklin  Mill  at  Golden  Gate  ;  Badger 
Mill:  Ledwich  Brothers'  Mill  ;  Union  Mill  Company  ;  A.  P. 
Moon  &  Company's  Mill,  Lower  Central  ;  Girdler  &  Orr's 
Mill. 

In  this  cradle  of  gold  quartz  reduction  in  the  Black  Hills 
there  is  now  —  barring  the  DeSmet  mill  —  but  one  twenty- 
stamp  custom  mill,  called  the  "  Deadbroke,"  in  operation. 
The  powerful  Homestake  Company,  with  its  900  ponder- 
ous stamps  which  are  causing  the  whole  free  gold  region 
thereabouts  to  throb  from  center  to  circumference,  leaves 
but  small  chance  for  small  operations.  It  is  believed, 
however,  that  the  old-time  activity  will  soon  return  to 
Central  and  her  sister  hamlets,  as,  at  this  writing,  it  is 
currently  reported  that  raarveloasly  rich  discoveries  have 
been  made  in  their  vicinity. 

Central,  though  it  has  declined  somewhat  in  material 
importance,  is  still  exceedingly  rich  in  unwritten  tragic  his- 
tory. It  was  not  only  the  scene  of  the  first  gold  reduction 
operations  in  the  Black  Hills,  but  was  also  the  scene  of 
numerous  dark  tragedies,  a  few  of  which  yet  stand  out  in 
bold  relief  against  the  background  of  memory. 

During  the  early  years,  when  excitement  ran  high, 
"claim-jumping"  was  a  common  occurrence,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  frequent  disputes  arose,  in  the  settlement 
of  which  a  number  of  valuable  lives  were  blotted  out. 
One  case  is  now  recalled,  which  has  in  it  a  world  of  pathos, 
where  two  men  fought  to  the  death  over  the  possession  of 
a  mill-site  near  Central.  It  was  on  October  6th,  1877,  that 
the  double  tragedy  occurred,  in  which  John  Bryant  and  a  man 
named  Adams  lost  their  lives.  It  appears  that  Bryant  had 
sold  the  ground  in  dispute  to  a  Mr.  Bogle  for  a  mill-site, 
after  which  it  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  other  claimant. 
Mr.    Bryant    feeling  in  honor  bound  to  protect  the  pur- 


532  THK    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

chaser  in  his  rights,  ordered  off  the  intruder,  who, 
instead  of  complying,  leveled  his  gun  and  fired  at 
Bryant,  shooting  him  through  the  body.  Notwithstanding 
he  had  received  his  death  wound,  Bryant  approached, 
emptying  the  magazine  of  his  gun,  meanwhile,  at  his 
adversary,  who  fell  dead,  when  Bryant,  too,  fell  dead 
across  his  body. 

Who  of  the  early  residents  of  the  upper  camps  will  not 
remember  the  tragedy  of  Hidden  Treasure  gulch?  In  this 
gulch,  which  makes  out  from  Deadwood  gulch  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Central,  there  is,  or  rather  was,  a  sort  of  conglom- 
erate cement  deposit,  rich  in  free  gold,  which  early 
attracted  the  attention  of  prospectors  and  investors.  On 
this  blanket  deposit,  which,  though  rich,  was  not  very 
extensive  in  superficial  area,  several  claims  had  been  located 
and  relocated  in  such  a  way  that  the  lines  of  the  respective 
claims  crossed  each  other  at  various  angles,  forming  all 
kinds  of  geometric  figures,  and  thereby  hangs  the  tale. 

Among  the  first  to  secure  property  on  this  historic  gulch 
was  Capt.  C.  V.  Gardner,  who,  it  may  be  remembered, 
finally  vindicated  his  right  to  the  famous  Hidden  Treasure 
mine  by  due  process  of  law.  Subsequently,  in  1876,  Mr. 
Henry  Keets,  member  of  a  company  formed  in  Cheyenne, 
Wyoming,  located  the  Comstock,  which  was  afterwards 
known  as  the  Keets  mine. 

In  the  spring  or  early  summer  of  1877,  Cephas  Tuttle 
located  the  Aurora  mine,  so  that  its  lines  overlapped  the 
ground  previously  located  by  Mr.  Keets,  resulting  in  a 
conflict  of  interests  and  the  consequent  bitterness  which 
led  up  to  the  tragedy  of  Hidden  Treasure  gulch.  It  is  not 
the  province  of  the  writer  to  discuss  the  merits  or  demerits 
of  that  unhappy  contest,  but  simply  to  record  the  facts,  as 
far  as  known,  relating  thereto,  which  are  in  substance  as 
follows : — 

It  was  one  day  in  August,  1877,  that  Mr.  Tuttle,  who, 
in  company  with  C.  H.  Deitrich  and  Senator  Thos.  C. 
Piatt  of  New  York,  was  interested  in  the  Aurora  mine,  per- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  533 

fected  his  plan  and  carried  out  his  fell  purpose,  according 
to  his  own  declaration,  of  exploding  the  whole  conglom- 
erate proposition  with  dynamite. 

When  seen  laboriously  pushing  a  wheelbarrow  loaded 
with  boxes  of  powder  towards  the  air  shaft  on  his  mine, 
Mr.  Keets  inquired,  "  What  under  the  sun  are  you  intend- 
ing to  do  with  all  that  powder?  "  "  I  am  going  to  blow 
the  entire  works  to  —  to  the  realms  of  Pluto,"  promptly 
replied  Tuttle.     He  was  as  good  as  his  word  —  he  did. 

It  appears  that  the  two  mines,  each  of  which  had  a  shaft, 
were  connected  by  a  long  tunnel,  which  at  the  time  was  in 
the  possession  of  the  Keets  employees.  When  reminded 
that  there  was  a  large  number  of  men  in  the  tunnel,  some 
of  whom  might  get  killed,  in  case  he  carried  out  his  threat, 
he  said:  "  Get  your  men  out  of  the  mine,  for  I  shall  cer- 
tainly blow  it  up.  I  am  a  Napoleon  and  was  never  yet 
outgeneraled."  This  he  said,  and  more,  in  the  way  of  em- 
bellishment. Finding  that  he  was  determined  to  execute 
his  threat  Mr.  Keets  hastened  into  the  tunnel  and  told  the 
men  to  get  out  quickly  as  Mr.  Tuttle  was  about  to  explode 
the  mine.  All  of  the  men  except  one  named  Norris,  who 
regarded  the  threat  as  a  mere  bravado,  left  the  tunnel  and 
repaired  to  the  Keets'  cabin,  or  a  blacksmith  shop  on  the 
ground. 

Tuttle  tied  a  rope  around  the  boxes  of  powder,  lowered 
them  into  the  shaft;  lighted  the  fuse  attached  to  the 
boxes,  and  was  about  to  lower  it  into  the  shaft,  when  a 
well-directed  shot  from  some  quarter  extinguished  it. 
"Good  shot!"  exclaimed  Tuttle  admiringly.  Nothing 
daunted,  he  at  once  relighted  the  fuse,  let  it  down  into  the 
shaft  and  left  the  spot,  shortly  after  which  the  explosion 
occurred.  Then  followed  an  interchange  of  shots  between 
the  Keets  men  in  the  cabin,  and  the  Aurora  men  from  be- 
hind a  barricade,  slight  wounds  being  inflicted  on  several 
of  the  men.  In  the  midst  of  the  general  confusion  an  un- 
erring bullet  found  its  way  to  the  heart  of  Mr.  Tuttle, 
killing  him,  it  is  believed,  instantly.     The  man  Norris,  who 


534  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

remained  in  the  tunnel,  was  knocked  into  insensibility  by 
the  concussion,  and  was  ever  afterwards  deaf. 

A  posse  of  armed  men  was  stationed  around  the  cabin 
in  which  the  Keets  men  had  taken  refuge,  to  keep  guard 
until  the  arrival  of  the  sheriff,  who  placed  several  of  the 
Keets  men  under  arrest,  took  them  in  custody  to  Dead- 
wood,  where  they  were  arraigned  in  Justice  Baker's  court 
for  preliminary  trial,  on  the  charge  of  murder.  A  pro- 
longed examination  of  witnesses,  pro  and  con,  failed  to 
fix  the  crime,  and  they  were  released.  The  names  of  the 
prisoners  were  Geo.  H.  FuUerton,  J.  S.  Hubbell,  Joe 
Maxwell,  C.  L.  Torbet,  J.  S.  Goddard,  E.  C.  Smith,  and 
H.  F.  Paslin. 

Hidden  Treasure  gulch  was  the  scene  of  an  amusing 
comedy  as  well  as  a  tragedy  during  the  same  year.  By 
some  injudicious  management  on  the  part  of  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  Keets'  works  there  was  a  default  in  the  pay- 
ment of  the  wages  of  the  employees,  who,  to  secure 
themselves,  took  formal  possession  of  the  property.  It 
was  in  November,  1877,  that  the  Keets  employees  set  up 
housekeeping  in  the  tunnel  of  the  Keets  mine.  They  re- 
moved their  cabin  belongings,  supplies,  beds  and  l)edding, 
cooking  utensils,  etc.,  into  the  tunnel,  set  up  the  cook 
stove  near  the  air  .'•haft,  which  was  utilized  for  a  flue,  and 
made  all  needful  preparations  for  an  indefinite  stay.  No 
persuasion  hy  mere  promises  to  pay  could  lure  them  from 
their  chosen  vantage  ground. 

The  owners  of  the  mine  then  called  into  requisition  the 
services  of  Sheriff  Bullock,  who,  upon  reaching  the  ground 
armed  with  due  process  of  law,  peered  down  through  the 
smoke  of  the  air  shaft  and  in  .stentorian  tones  read  to 
them  the  "  riot  act ;  "  but  for  once  the  potential  influence 
of  that  etficient  officer  of  the  law  failed,  as  threats  availed 
nothing. 

As  a  last  resort  the  aid  of  the  military  arm  of  the  gov- 
ernment was  invoked,  and  Lieut.  Edgerly,  in  response 
to  a  requisition  from  Sheriff  Bullock,  rode  to  the  scene  of 


SETH   BULLOCK, 

First  Sheriff  of   Lawrence  County, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAH.S.  535 

trouble  witli  a  detachment  of  United  States  cavalry  from 
Camp  Sturgis.  The  lieutenant,  upon  his  arrival,  com- 
municated formal  notice  to  the  occupants  of  the  tunnel 
that  unless  they  surrendered  the  fort  unconditionally 
within  a  specified  time  he  would  bombard  the  works. 
*'  Bombard  away,"  replied  the  plucky  miners,  "  we  will 
die  in  the  last  ditch  before  we  surrender."  Uncle  Sam's 
troopers  had  no  terrors  for  the  men  comfortably  domiciled 
in  the  tunnel.  All  efforts  to  dislodge  them  proved  ineffec- 
tual until  someone  hit  upon  the  happy  expedient  of  throw- 
ing burning  sulphur  into  the  tunnel,  which  brought  them 
to  a  speedy  capitulation.  To  the  fumes  of  fire  and  brim- 
stone they  were  finally  forced  to  succumb. 

TERRAVILLE. 

In  a  small  gulch,  between  Centr.il  City  and  Lead,  at  an 
elevation  of  about  200  feet  above  the  former  place,  is 
Terraville,  the  location  of  the  Deadwood,  Terra,  and  Cale- 
donia mills,  to  whose  o[)erations  it  owes  its  present  exist- 
ence. The  camp  had  its  origin  in  1877,  in  the  discovery 
of  the  several  mines  comprising  the  properties  of  the  two 
companies  respectively,  the  earliest  of  which  were  the  Cal- 
edonia and  the  Deadwood  and  Terra  mines.  The  Dead- 
wood  Terra  Company  has  two  mills  of  eighty  stamps  each, 
and  the  Caledonia  one  mill  of  eighty  stamps,  making  a 
total  of  220  stamps,  which  are  kept  in  constant  operation, 
employing  an  aggregate  of  150  men. 

These  two  companies,  which  are  now  included  in  the 
Homestake  combination,  own  the  mnjor  part  of  the  min- 
eral-bearing territory  in  the  vicinity  of  Terraville.  Among 
the  mines  belonging  to  the  Caledonia  group  on  Bobtail 
gulch  are  the  Caledonia,  Grand  Prize,  Clara  Nos.  1  and  2, 
Queen  of  the  Hills,  Cornucopia,  Monroe,  besides  placer 
ground  on  the  gulch. 

In  these  mines,  as  in  the  Homestake  properties  at  Lead, 
there  is  a  large  amount  of  pay  ore  in  sight,  which  is  mined 
at  a  great  saving  of  expense,  pillars  of  the  ore  being  skill- 


536 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 


fully  left  to  support  the  roof,  thereby  saving  the  expendi- 
ture of  thousands  of  dollars  annually  for  timber  and  labor. 
In  all  other  particulars  the  same  methods  are  employed  as 


in  the  mills  and  mines  at  Lead.  Although  Terraville  has  a 

present  population  of  600,  very  little  traffic  is  carried  on 

owing  to  its  close  proximity  to  Lead,  the  trade  center  for 
that  region. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  537 

CROOK    CITY. 

Crook  City,  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  the  northern  Hills, 
is  situated  on  Whitewood  creek,  about  seven  miles  by  the 
traveled  highway  northeast  of  Deadwood,  at  the  foot  of  the 
hills  where  the  creek  debouches  into  the  open  country. 
It  was  originally  called  "  Camp  Crook  "  in  honor  of  Gen. 
Crook,  who  encamped  on  the  ground  with  several  troops  of 
cavalry  in  1875,  and  again  in  1876,  on  his  return  from  his 
memorable  summer  campaign  against  the  hostile  Sioux. 
Early  in  1876  a  large  population  gathered  at  that  point  for 
the  purpose  of  catching  the  float  gold,  with  which  White- 
wood  creek  was  believed  to  be  teeming,  as  it  was  washed 
down  with  the  tide.  It  grew  so  rapidly  in  population  and 
importance  during  the  year,  that,  in  the  spring  of  1877, 
upon  the  formation  of  Lawrence  County,  it  was  considered 
a  worthy  rival  of  Deadwood  in  the  race  for  capital  honors. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  first  meeting  of  the  county  com- 
missioners was  held  at  Crook,  but  for  some  reason  best 
known  to  that  board,  the  meeting  adjourned  to  Deadwood, 
which  later  secured  the  plum,  despite  the  liberal  bonus 
offered  by  the  people  of  Crook  in  landed  property. 

The  town  was  laid  out  in  the  spring  of  1876,  when  it 
received  its  formal  christening,  each  of  the  original  settlers 
beinsf  given  the  privilege  of  drawiuo;  a  town  lot.  At  that 
time  town  lots  in  Crook  City  were  in  active  demand,  selling 
readily  at  $500.00  each.  Among  the  first  settlers  were 
Wm.  Cable,  L.  W.  Valentine,  Henry  Ash,  Joseph  Sparks, 
A.  H.  Burke,  H.  M.  Vroman,  Wm.  Wigginton,  E.  R. 
Collins,  W.  D.  Wakeman,  Major  James  Whitewood,' Ben- 
jamin Hazen,  Sam.  Jackson,  John  Gallinger,  Wm.  Wade, 
Geo.  Mattox,  Ed.  W^olf,  Ed.  Donahue,  Thomas  Moore, 
Thomas  Shannon,  and  many  others,  the  majority  of  whom 
were  soon  drawn  away  to  Deadwood.  The  two  last  named 
fought  a  duel  in  1876,  in  which  T.  Shannon  fell  (see  Chap- 
ter of  First  Events).  Aunt  Sally,  who  claimed  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  "  de  fustest  culled  lady  in  de  Brack 
Hills,"  was  also  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Crook  City. 


538 


THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 


Among  the  first  to  establish  business  in  the  town,  were  : 
Joseph  Sparks,  hotel;  Henry  Ash,  grocery;  Wm.  Wig- 
ginton,  meat  shop;  Mike  McMahon,  restaurant ;  Clark  & 
Wilson,  bakery;  Homer  Levings,  general  merchandise; 
A.  Jackson,  saloon. 


CROOK   CITY   IN    1876. 


The  first  school  in  Crook  City  was  taught  by  Mrs.  J.  S» 
Bennett,  in  June,  1877.  It  is  claimed  that  District  No.  1 
of  Lawrence  County  was  organized  there  at  that  time  with 
H.  M.  Vroman,  treasurer,  W.  D.  Wakeman,  director,  and 
W.  M.  Anderson,  clerk.  That  being  the  case  it  was  the 
first  school  district  organized  in  the  Black  Hills.    The  school 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  539 

was  first  taught  in  a  rented  log  cabin,  but  soon  after  a 
comfortable  scliool  building  was  erected. 

The  Crook  City  Tribune,  the  second  newspaper  in  the 
Black  Hills,  was  established  at  Crook  City  on  June  10th, 

1876,  just  two  days  after  the  first  issue  of  the  Black  Hills 
weekly  Pioneer.  The  paper  was  published  by  H.  S. 
Burke. 

A  regular  post-office   was  established  at  Crook  City  in 

1877,  with  William  Logan  as  first  postmaster.  Prior  to 
that  time  the  people  of  the  town  received  their  mail  through 
the  same  uncertain  and  dangerous  channels  as  did  other 
early  settlements  of  the  Hills. 

Situated  as  it  was,  on  the  outer  environment  of  the  Hills, 
Crook  City  was  particularly  exposed  to  Indian  depredations 
in  1876,  and  a  number  of  persons  were  killed  in  its  vicinity 
during  that  year,  among  whom  were  three  members  of  a 
family  named  Wagnus,  who  were  encamped  near  the  town, 
an  intrepid  mail  carrier  named  Herbert,  and  several  other 
parties.  Stealing  and  running  off  horses  and  cattle  from 
the  vicinity  was  an  almost  daily  occurrence,  and  the  settlers 
were  consequently  kept  in  a  constant  state  of  alarm.  It 
was  while  on  his  way  to  Crook  City  to  fulfill  an  engage- 
ment to  hold  religious  services  that  Kev.  Smith  was  killed 
by  the  Indians  in  1876,  the  particulars  of  which  are  related 
in  Chapter  of  First  Events. 

In  the  early  eighties  the  town-site,  comprising  about  400 
acres,  was  pre-empted  by  L.  W.  Valentine  and  J.  L.  Den- 
man,  who  deeded  lots  to  occupants  at  a  mere  nominal  figure. 
Although  liberal  inducements  were  offered,  all  attempts  to 
secure  for  Crook  Cit}''  a  railway  station  have  so  far  failed, 
and  while  a  small  settlement  of  ranchmen  is  still  there, 
as  a  town  it  is  but  little  more  than  a  memory.  A  rich  agri- 
cultural and  grazing  region  surrounds  the  old  town-site, 
including  Whitewood,  Spring,  and  False  Bottom  valleys, 
and  the  eastern  portion  of  Centennial  Prairie,  and  it  has 
doubtless  proved  more  valuable  as  a  ranch  than  it  ever  did 
as  a  town. 


540  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER     XXXYI. 

SPEAKFISH. 

Situated  in  the  valley  of  Spearlish  creek,  about  seven 
miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Redwater,  and  fourteen 
miles  northwest  of  Deadwood  by  wagon  road,  and  thirty- 
one  miles  by  the  winding  railway,  may  be  found  Spear- 
fish,  the  Queen  City  of  the  Black  Hills,  and  a  delightfully 
attractive  picture  indeed  it  presents  to  the  visitor.  Its 
broad,  clean,  well-shaded  streets;  its  cosy,  tree-embowered 
homes  —  bespeaking  the  prosperity  and  thrift  of  their 
owners —  and  the  broad,  green  valley  in  which  it  stands, 
form  a  maojnificent  settino;  to  the  rugged  grandeur  of  the 
surrounding  hills  and  mountains  which  shield  the  confiding 
city  from  every  stormy  wind  that  blows. 

The  mountains  rear  their  protecting  battlements  on  every 
side.  Crow  Butte  with  its  flanking  cohorts,  on  the  south, 
Spearfish  Peak  on  the  east,  and  on  the  west  Crow  Peak 
towers  up  about  6,000  feet  above  the  tide,  and  2,500  feet 
above  the  town,  while,  near  its  limits  on  the  east,  rises  up 
the  encroaching  barrier  of  Lookout  Mountain,  from  whose 
lofty  summit  the  early  settlers  of  the  valley  were  wont  to 
eagerly  scan  the  different  approaches  thereto,  in  the  days 
of  the  country's  peril. 

In  the  beauty  and  harmony  of  its  scenic  environments, 
Spearfish  stands  unexcelled  by  any  other  town  in  the  Hills, 
Custer  alone  excelling  it  in  grandeur.  The  quiet  peace- 
ful village,  Spearfish  creek,  clear  as  crystal,  fringed  with 
a  thrifty  growth  of  forest  trees,  traversing  the  wide  ver- 
dant valley,  and  the  embracing  mountains  combined,  form 
a  landscape  that  would  delight  the  artistic  eye  of  a  painter. 
The  peculiar  features   of  the  valley  of  the  Redwater  are 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  541 

also  conspicuous  around  Spearfisli,  the  white  of  the  gypsum 
and  the  verniillion  of  the  Ked  Beds  contrasting  with 
pleasing  effect. 

The  varied  attractions  of  the  valley  of  Spearfish  and  the 
wide  "Centennial  Prairie"  on  the  east,  did  not  long 
remain  unnoticed  b}'  those  seeking  homes  in  the  Bhick 
Hills.  Professor  Jenny  who  encamped  on  the  valleys, 
during  his  exploration  of  the  Hills  in  1875,  spoke  in  glow- 
ing language  of  its  beauty  and  fertility  which  first  brought 
it  into  notice.  It  was  not  albeit  until  about  the  time  that 
the  valley  began  to  grow  green  in  the  spring  of  1876,  soon 
after  the  Sioux  in  fresh  paint  and  plumage  had  started  out 
on  the  trail  of  the  pale-faces,  that  attention  was  first 
attracted  to  that  region  with  a  view  to  settlement. 

It  is  claimed  by  some  that  Jas.  Butcher,  who  later  settled 
on  Centennial  Prairie,  was  the  first  actual  settler  on  the 
northern  frontier,  having  located  and  built  a  cabin,  prior 
to  the  location  of  the  town-site,  on  ground  afterwards  occu- 
pied by  J.  C.  Ryan's  store,  which  was  soon  abandoned, 
owing  to  the  appearance  of  Indians.  The  next  to  arrive, 
according  to  pretty  well  authenticated  statements,  was  a 
company  formed  in  Deadwood  in  the  early  part  of  May, 
1876,  for  the  purpose  of  locating  lands  in  the  valley  of 
Spearfish  creek  —  which,  too,  by  reason  of  the  hostility  of 
the  Indians,  was  compelled  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  without 
fully  accomplishing  its  object.  It  appears,  however,  that 
Otto  Uhlig,  the  prime  mover  in  the  scheme,  soon  after 
returned  and  joined  the  Montana  colony,  which  arrived  in 
the  valley  on  the  20th  of  May,  1876,  and  located  a  home- 
stead adjoining  the  original  town-site  on  the  east,  —  a  part 
of  which  is  now  Uhlig's  Addition  to  Spearfish. 

Colorado  Jack  had,  prior  to  this,  according  to  tradition, 
verified  by  living  witnesses,  pre-empted  the  town-site,  but 
was  soon  driven  off  by  the  Indians,  abandoning  his  claim. 
On  the  22d  of  May,  1876,  it  was  relocated  by  Thomas 
Jefferson,  who  subsequently  relinquished  his  right  to  the 
Town-site    Company.     About    the  same  time,    perhaps    a 


542  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

little  before,  John  Johnston,  leader  of  the  "Centennial" 
party  from  Ames,  Iowa,  arrived  in  the  valley,  where  he 
has  since,  for  the  most  time,  remained. 

On  the  26th  of  May  the  Montana  colony  began  to  locate 
ranches  down  the  valley,  beginning  at  the  ranch  now  owned 
by  R.  H.  Evans,  which  he  drew  at  that  time.  Joseph 
Ramsdell,  at  the  same  time,  located  the  ground  which  is 
now  in  part  Ramsdell's  Addition  to  Spearfish, 

It  appears  that  there  were  two  adverse  claimants  to  the 
town-site,  designated  as  the  Gay  and  Smith  parties  respec- 
tively, each  claiming  priority  of  location,  but,  after  a  heated 
discussion,  a  compromise  was  effected,  by  which  the  two 
parties  were  to  unite  in  forming  a  large  town-site  company. 
Accordingly  on  the  29th  of  May,  1876,  Spearfish  was  laid 
out  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  stream  from  which  it 
derived  its  name.  The  site  was  surveyed  and  platted  by 
H.  S.  Burke,  —  who  established  the  first  newspaper  at  Crook 
City,  and  was  afterwards  Justice  of  the  Peace  at  Dead- 
wood —  with  the  aid  of  the  traditional  pocket  compass. 
The  original  stockholders  of  the  Town-site  Company  were  : 
Alfred  Gay,  A.  J.  Arnold,  J.  E.  Smith,  T.  K.  Bradley,  J. 
F.  Bradley,  Wm.  Gay,  W.  L.  Kuykendall,  E.  B.  Farnum, 
H.  B.  Young,  Thos.  Jefferson,  R.  H.  Evans,  J.  H.  Bigler, 
C.  L.  Craig,  J.  Fitzsimmons,  J.  McHenrj^  J.  R.  Frost, 
H.  S.  Burke,  D.  G.  Tallent,  A.  F.  Wood,  T.  G.  Murphy, 
J.  J.  Crawford,  E.  F.  Slater,  C.  F.  Thomas,  C.  C.  Spades, 
J.  J.  Bump,  J.  Lahara,  M.  Gearney,  Wm.  Plaudney,  S.  S. 
Peters,  P.  O.  Mill,  M.  B.  Goodsell,  and  R.  Holt,  thirty- 
two  in  all.  J.  E.  Smith  was  chosen  president  of  the 
company. 

The  organization  was  effected  under  the  provisions  of  a 
law  of  the  United  States  authorizing  the  location  of  town- 
sites  on  government  unsurve^'ed  lands  which  provided  that 
all  unclaimed  lots  after  a  specified  period  should  revert  to 
and  become  the  property  of  the  school  district.  A  prelim- 
inary surve}'  of  the  original  plat,  which  contained  640 
acres  located  on  government   unsurveyed  lands   was  made 


LAST    11U^TING    GKOUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  543 

by  members  of  the  Town-site  Company  in  187G.  In  1877 
the  640-acre  tract  was  resurveyed  and  platted  hy  E.  E. 
Fine,  for  which  service  the  company  paid  him  $350  in 
good,  hiwful  money.  The  streets  were  hiid  out  and  num- 
bered from  one  to  twenty-seven  north  and  south,  and  from 
A  to  S  east  and  west,  and  as  there  was  ample  room  for 
expansion  in  the  tract  they  hiid  out  veritable  boulevards, 
with  alleys  twenty  feet  in  width. 

In  1878  the  government  survey  by  Scott  was  made,  by 
which  the  town-site  tract  was  found  to  be  parts  of  sections 
10  and  15,  township  6,  range  2  east  of  Black  Hills  merid- 
ian. It  then  developed  that  the  population  of  the  town 
did  not  entitle  it  to  more  than  320  acres,  consequently  that 
area  was  surveyed  and  platted,  and  on  January  27th,  1879, 
was  recorded  in  the  United  States  Land  Office  at  Dead- 
wood.  Since  then  several  additions  have  been  made  largely 
increasing  its  original  area.  Subsequently  the  company 
became  involved  in  prolonged  and  expensive  litigation  with 
those  to  whom  lots  had  been  sold  and  squatters  who  settled 
on  the  site  prior  to  its  cession  by  the  government;  conse- 
quently, becoming  weary  of  the  struggle,  the  company 
finally  abandoned  the  scheme. 

The  first  structure  erected  on  the  plat  was  a  log  cabin, 
built  by  the  Town-site  Company,  the  logs  for  which  were  cut 
by  Jas.  Bradley  and  Thos.  Jefferson.  The  second  house 
was  built  by  James  and  Kellar  Bradley,  at  the  southeast 
corner  of  7th  and  H  streets,  on  the  ground  afterwards 
owned  by  Robinson  &  Ripley. 

J.  E.  Smith,  Jas.  Ryan,  Henry  Folsom,  and  Geo.  Reed 
broke  the  first  ground  in  Spearfish  valley  in  June,  1876, 
and  J.  E.  Smith  sowed  the  first  acre  of  oats  on  the  ranch 
now  owned  by  M.  G.  Tonn.  While,  despite  Indians, 
numerous  small  improvements  were  made  on  the  ranches 
along  the  valley,  the  town  grew  but  slowly  during  the  first 
year  of  its  history. 

Early  in  September,  1876,  it  having  become  imperative 
that  a  haven  of   refuge  be  provided  for  the  settlers,  in  the 


544  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

event  of  an  attack  by  the  Indians,  who  were  at  the  time 
boldly  raiding  the  surrounding  country,  even  to  the 
limits  of  the  town,  a  stockade  was  built.  The  plan  of  the 
structure,  though  something  unique  in  the  annals  of  defen- 
sive works,  was  yet  quite  creditable  to  its  designers.     Four 


SPKARFISH   IN    1876,    WITH   LOOKOUT   MOUNTAIN    IN    THE    BACKGROUND. 

separate  cabins,  occupying  the  four  respective  corners  of 
the  area,  laid  out  for  the  inclosure,  were  provided  with 
embrasures  on  all  sides,  thus  commanding  the  situation 
from  every  point  of  the  compass.  On  the  northeast 
corner,  afterwards  occupied  by  Court  &  Bulf's  building, 
stood  John  Ward's  cabin;  on  the  southeast  corner,  on  the 
ground  now  occupied  by  Gammon's  livery  stable,  stood 
P.   C.   Riley's    cabin;   the    two    100    feet  apart.     On   the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  545 

northwest  corner,  now  occupied  by  Nutt's  store,  stood  John 
Spaulding's  cabin,  and  Henry  Folsom's  cabin  occupied  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  inclosure.  All  munitions  of  war, 
provisions,  etc.,  were  stored  in  these  four  log  cabins,  where; 
the  few  settlers  took  up  quarters  and  successfully  defended 
themselves  during  the  winter  of  1876-7,  and  where,  it  may 
be  imagined,  they  reposed  upon  no  downy  pillows. 

All  through  the  year  of  1876  and  up  to  July,  1877,  the 
settlers  in  the  valley  held  their  possessions  by  a  very  haz- 
ardous and  uncertain  tenure  indeed.  They  were  perpetu- 
ally harassed  by  the  aggressions  of  the  Indians  who  were 
especially  active  along  the  northern  border,  around  the 
exposed  settlements  of  Spearfish,  Centennial,  and  Crook 
City.  Often  during  that  terrible  period  did  they  clitnb  the 
slope  of  Lookout  Mountain  and  stand  upon  its  commanding 
summit  to  scan  the  wide  scope  of  valley  and  prairie 
to  the  north  and  east,  anxiously  watching  for  the  ubiqui- 
tous redskins,  who  came  and  went  like  a  flash  —  and  there 
was  no  telling  whence  nor  where.  Large  bands  were  liable 
on  any  day  or  at  any  hour  to  swoop  down  upon  a  herd  of 
horses  or  cattle  or  sheep  and  with  wild  unearthly  yells  and 
whoops  and  frantic  gesticulations  stampede  the  whole 
herd  away  out  of  sight,  before  their  keepers  could  hardly 
realize  what  had  been  done.  Not  that  the  herders  were 
lacking  either  in  vigilance  or  bravery  —  quite  the  reverse. 
What  availed  two  or  three  men,  pitted  against  a  band  of 
fifty  or  more  well-mounted  and  well-armed  Indians? 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  there  were  hundreds  of  horses 
and  cattle  feeding  on  the  rich  grazing  lands  lying  north  of 
the  Hills  even  as  early  as  1876.  It  is  related  that  at  one 
time  a  large  band  of  red  marauders  drove  away  from  the 
vicinity  of  Crook  City  400  head  of  cattle  belonging  to 
Capt.  Dodson  and  slaughtered  the  entire  herd  except  one 
lame  ox,  converted  the  same  into  jerked  beef  and  made 
their  escape  from  their  pursuers.  A  party  from  Crook  City 
accompanied  by  the  Montana  hay-makers  followed  in  pur- 
suit but  they  were  too  late. 

35 


546  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

That  the  Indians  did  aot  confine  themselves  strictly  to 
horse  and  cattle  stealing,  but,  when  opportunity  offered, 
dabbled  in  other  kinds  of  stock,  will  be  shown  by  the  fol- 
lowing. In  the  fall  of  1876  a  man  named  Ames,  who  had 
located  a  sheep  ranch  on  the  Redwater,  near  the  mouth  of 
False  Bottom,  brought  in  from  Wyoming  a  flock  of  sheep 
to  be  disposed  of  to  meat  dealers  during  the  winter  and  but 
for  the  interposition  of  a  force  of  United  States  troops  he 
would  have  been  robbed  of  his  entire  flock. 

Lieut.  Cummings,  it  may  be  remembered,  was  sent 
with  a  force  of  cavalry  to  guard  the  northern  frontier 
against  the  incursions  of  the  Indians  in  the  fall  of  1876. 
On  one  occasion  the  lieutenant  and  his  command,  accom- 
panied by  a  number  of  settlers,  among  whom  were  Mike 
Burton  and  Joe  Cook  of  "  Montana  Herd  "  fame,  went  out 
north  of  the  Belle  Fourche  river  on  a  scouting  expedition 
after  Indians.  On  their  return  trip,  when  at  the  point 
where  the  town  of  Belle  Fourche  now  stands,  they  were 
met  by  Mr.  Ames'  flock  of  sheep,  behind  which  were  a 
small  band  of  Indians,  urging  them  forward  with  all  pos- 
sible speed.  The  ofiicer  in  command  ordered  a  charge  on 
the  Indians,  who,  taken  by  surprise,  fled  precipitately  to  a 
high  bank  overlooking  the  river,  pursued  by  the  soldiers. 
Finding  themselves  surrounded  they  urged  their  ponies 
down  the  steep  bank  into  the  stream,  reached  the  opposite 
side  and  took  shelter  in  the  timber.  The  sheep  were 
recovered  and  returned  by  the  soldiers  to  their  owner,  Mr. 
Ames. 

That  night  they  went  into  camp  at  the  Boughton  and 
Giles  stockade,  where  on  the  following  morning  a  mes- 
senger arrived,  from  "  Skew  "  Johnston's  ranch  asking 
immediate  assistance.  A  large  band  of  Indians  had  dashed 
down  upon  their  herd  of  cattle,  and  driven  them  off  in 
a  northwest  direction  towards  the  Little  Missouri  river. 
"  Boots  and  Saddles"  was  ordered  and  the  soldiers  and 
citizens  were  soon  mounted  and  on  their  trail,  which  was 
followed  as  far  as  the  Belle  Fourche  river.     They  found 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAH8.  547 

stragglers  from  the  herd  along  the  trail,  exhausted  hy  the 
loDg  rapid  drive,  and  as  they  neared  the  Belle  Fourche 
river  the  lowing  of  the  cattle  could  he  heard  in  the  dis- 
tance, evidencing  that  the  Indians,  with  their  booty,  were 
not  far  in  advance.  Believing  that  the  Indians  were  in 
overpowering  numbers  and  fearful  of  being  drawn  into 
ambush,  Lieut.  Cummings,  deeming  '♦  discretion  the  bet- 
ter part  of  valor."  ordered  the  return  of  his  command 
to  Centennial  Prairie.  The  Indians  drove  the  entire  herd, 
except  the  few  stragglers,  to  their  rendezvous  northwest  of 
the   Hills. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  the  many  losses  suffered  by  the 
early  settlers  along  the  northern  frontier,  but  sufficient  to 
illustrate  some  of  the  difficulties  with  which  they  were 
constantly  beset  during  the  period  of  its  early  settlement. 
Would  it  could  be  recorded  here  that  large  herds  of  horses 
and  cattle  and  sheep  had  been  sufficient  to  satisfy  the 
rapacity  of  those  graceless  savages  !  But  no,  whenever 
opportunity  offered  they,  too,  stained  the  green  of  the 
beautiful  valley  with  the  blood  of  the  settlers.  Every 
day  and  every  hour  deadly  peril  menaced  them,  and  any 
man  who  ventured  far  beyond  the  protecting  walls  of  his 
log  cabin,  virtually  courted  death,  as  he  was  liable  to  be- 
come the  target  for  the  skillful  marksmanship  of  a  band  of 
concealed  Indians.  Especially  was  this  the  case  after  the 
return  of  the  Sioux  from  the  battle  of  the  Little  Horn  in 
the  late  summer  and  early  fall  of  1876,  during  which  time 
a  number  were  killed. 

One  of  these  was  a  young  man,  who  hailed  from  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  Jimmy  Irion  by  name  and  a  printer  by 
trade.  "Jimmy,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  was  em- 
ployed as  a  "  lookout"  by  a  party  of  hay-makers  in  the 
valley  of  False  Bottom  creek,  and  one  bright,  fatal  morn- 
ing in  early  September,  he  mounted  his  horse,  placed  his 
gun  across  the  pommel  of  his  saddle,  as  was  his  wont,  and 
rode  away  from  camp  to  his  doom.  Poor  fellow,  when 
climbing  the  hill  to  his  accustomed  point  of  observation,  he 


548  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

fell,  pierced  and  shattered  by  a  volley  of  Indian  bullets. 
His  mutilated  body  was  found  soon  after,  and  later  taken 
to  Deadwood  for  interment.  Upon  examination  it  was  dis- 
covered that  one  of  the  balls  had  struck  a  cartridge  in  his 
belt,  which  he  wore  over  his  left  shoulder  across  under  his 
left  arm,  and  exploded  it,  the  concussion  shattering  his  body 
frightfully. 

A  somewhat  peculiar  case  now  recalled,  was  the  killing 
of  a  man  named  Hay  ward,  a  few  miles  north  of  Spearfish, 
in  the  summer  or  fall  of  1876.  Hayward,  who  was  the 
owner  of  a  team  and  wagon,  was  engaged  by  a  party  of 
some  half  dozen  Deadwood  coal  prospectors  to  take  them 
to  the  newly-discovered  Hay  creek  coal-beds,  about  forty 
miles  northerly  from  Deadwood.  It  was  a  dangerous  trip, 
and  one  that  few  cared  to  take  in  those  days.  Hayward, 
a  tenderfoot  of  the  tenderest  type,  was  just  from  the  East, 
and  had  a  morbid  fear  of  being  killed  by  Indians  thjit 
was  pitiable  in  the  extreme.  Indeed  he  had  a  premonition 
which  presaged  his  certain  death  at  their  hands,  and  he  was 
not  to  be  shaken  in  that  belief. 

However,  by  dint  of  much  persuasion,  and  the  promise 
of  large  emoluments,  he  was  finally  induced  to  undertake 
the  journey  which,  although  there  were  plenty  of  Indians 
flitting  about  all  over  that  region  of  the  country,  was  ac- 
complished without  encountering  a  single  redskin.  After 
spending  a  few  days  in  exploring  the  coal  deposit  without 
molestation,  the  men  started  on  their  way  homeward,  and 
when  about  half  the  distance  to  Spearfish  had  been  covered, 
a  band  of  mounted  Indians  was  discovered  in  the  distance, 
following  swiftly  on  their  trail.  The  horses  were  urged 
forward  at  their  utmost  speed,  and  the  Indians  gave  chase. 
After  running  two  or  three  miles  or  such  a  matter,  finding 
that  their  pursuers  were  gaining  rapidly  upon  them,  the 
panting,  foaming  team  was  swiftly  switched  in  behind  a 
low  embankment,  where  they  prepared  to  defend  them- 
selves as  best  they  could.  For  hours  they  stood  off  that  band 
of  bloodthirsty   savages,  who   largely  outnumbered  them, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  549 

leveling  and  tiring  their  guns  over  the  embankment  when- 
ever an  Indian  came  within  range;  they  in  turn  firing  back 
as  often  as  the  top  of  a  head  appeared  above  the  natural 
parapet.  Hay  ward,  who  meanwhile  was  in  a  mad  frenzy 
of  excitement,  persisted,  in  spite  of  repeated  warnings,  in 
standing  up  every  few  minutes  in  full  view  of  the  Indians, 
as  if  inviting  his  fate,  to  see  if  they  were  still  there.  Poor 
fellow  !  he  exposed  himself  as  a  target  once  too  often,  for 
at  last,  as  night  was  approaching,  the  fatal  ball  went  true 
to  its  mark,  and  he  fell  dead,  as  he  predicted  he  would. 
Shortly  after  the  Indians  withdrew,  when  the  body  was 
placed  in  the  wagon  and  convej^ed  to  Spearfish,  where  it 
was  laid  to  rest  in  a  spot  set  apart  for  the  burial  of  Indian 
victims. 

On  the  23d  of  July,  1877,  David  Abernethy  and  Deputy- 
Sheriff  Wilson  left  Spearfish  in  pursuit  of  two  men  who 
had  run  off  with  a  wagon  belonging  to  the  former.  On 
reaching  Montana  Lake,  two  miles  east  of  Beulah,  close  on 
the  trail  of  the  thieves,  they  halted  for  a  brief  rest,  when 
suddenly  a  band  of  Indians  rushed  out  from  ambush  and 
killed  them  both,  then  took  horses,  saddles,  and  guns,  rifled 
their  pockets,  and  rode  away  with  their  booty.  Informa- 
tion of  the  murder  reached  Spearfish,  when  a  party  of 
armed  men  went  out  to  the  lake,  found  the  bodies  and 
brought  them  to  Spearfish  for  burial. 

During  the  same  month  and  year  a  party  went  out  from 
Spearfish  to  the  rescue  of  a  party  of  immigrants  who  were 
surrounded  and  held  by  the  Indians  on  the  Redwater. 
They  brought  them  safely  in,  also  the  bodies  of  four  men 
who  had  been  killed  and  scalped  not  far  from  town. 

The  last  hostile  appearance  of  the  Sioux  in  the  vicinity 
of  Spearfish  was  in  July,  1877,  when  what  was  known  as 
the  "  Pettigrew  "  party  was  beleagured  for  three  days  on 
Sand  creek,  while  en  route  overland  for  the  Pacific  Coast. 
This  party,  which  was  partly  recruited  at  Spearfish,  was 
composed  of  about  fifty  men,  women,  and  children,  includ- 
ing the   family  of  the  leader,  Charles  W.  Pettigrew.     On 


550  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

reachiDg  Sand  creek  they  went  into  camp  on  a  little  emi- 
nence near  where  the  Beulah  bridge  now  stands,  and  while 
waiting  there  to  secure  additional  recruits  at  that  small  set- 
tlement two  members  of  the  part}'  were  run  in  by  a  small 
force  of  Indians,  who  fired  a  volley  after  them  into  camp, 
at  long  range,  causing  no  small  panic  among  the  women 
and  children.  To  defend  the  camp  against  an  expected- 
attack,  they  at  once  corralled  their  wagons,  placed  the 
women  and  children  inside  the  barricade,  dug  rifle  pits 
outside  for  the  men,  and,  thus  entrenched,  awaited  events. 

The  next  morning  a  large  force  of  Indians,  numbering 
from  sixty  to  seventy  braves,  in-  detached  squads,  sur- 
rounded the  camp  on  all  sides,  and  opened  a  brisk  fire 
at  long  range,  on  the  defenses,  the  men  in  the  pits  return- 
ing the  tire  whenever  an  Indian  came  within  range  of  their 
guns.  This  intermittent  interchange  of  bullets  continued 
for  three  days,  during  which  time  two  futile  attempts  were 
made  to  stampede  the  stock  of  the  besieged  party. 

Meanwhile,  information  of  their  perilous  situation  had 
reached  Spearfish  and  Dead  wood,  when  a  body  of  armed 
men  from  each  of  these  places  mounted  their  horses  and 
rode  swiftly  to  their  relief.  Near  the  close  of  the  third 
day  they  arrived  at  the  seat  of  hostilities,  when,  it  is  need- 
less to  state,  the  braves  suddenly  disappeared  and  were 
seen  no  more. 

Among  this  party  was  Mr.  Detfebaugh,  of  Spearfish, 
who  two  years  later  was  killed  by  Indians  at  Devil's  Tower. 
Unanimously  deciding  not  to  continue  their  journey  farther 
towards  the  setting  sun,  the  party  returned  with  its  res- 
cuers to  Spearfish,  where  the  leader,  Mr.  Pettigrew,  settled 
with  his  family  and  has  since  made  his  home. 

The  first  public  enterprise  planned  I)y  the  Town-site  Com- 
pany was  a  scheme  to  bring  travel  from  Bismarck  to  the 
Hills  via  Spearfish.  In  furtherance  of  the  project,  Jas. 
Bradley,  who  was  regarded  as  something  of  a  "  Kit  Car- 
son" by  the  early  settlers,  was  selected  to  conduct  a  party 
of  exploration  to  the  north  and  east,  for  the  purpose  of 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THK    DAKOTAIIS.  551 

laying  out  a  feasible  route  from  Spearfish,  to  intersect  the 
old  road  from  Bismarck  to  the  Hills  laid  out  in  1875. 

Accordingly,  on  July  2,  1877,  Jas.  Bradley,  W.  W. 
Bradley,  Gus.  M.  Wood,  Jas.  H.  Madding,  and  a  teamster 
named  Paste,  started  from  Spearfish  in  a  northwest  direc- 
tion across  the  Belle  Fourche  three  or  four  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Redwater.  After  traveling  about  200  miles 
over  an  almost  impenetrable  country,  frequently  changing 
their  course,  and  enduring  a  good  deal  of  hardship,  they 
at  last  came  upon  the  old  Bismarck  wagon  trial.  On  their 
return  an  estimate  based  upon  their  report  was  made,  when 
it  was  decided  that  the  cost  of  constructing  the  road  would 
be  too  great,  and  the  enterprise  was  abandoned.  Strangely 
enough,  though  marauding  bands  of  Indians  were  still 
roaming  over  the  country,  not  a  single  redskin  was  encoun- 
tered during  the  tri[». 

With  the  quieting  of  the  Sioux  title,  and  the  subsequent 
cessation  of  Indian  hostilities  along  the  northern  border  in 
the  summer  of  1877,  and  the  consequent  influx  of  immi- 
gration and  freedom  to  develop  unmolested  the  resources 
of  the  fertile  valley,  and  to  utilize  the  vast  areas  of  rich 
grazing  land  lying  adjacent  to  and  extending  far  to  the 
north  and  west,  began  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  Spear- 
fish. These  with  its  advantages  of  location  on  one  of  the 
never-failing  streams  of  the  Hills,  affording  unsurpassed 
water-power  facilities,  made  its  permanence  an  assured 
fact.  Fully  alive  to  these  advantages  and  confident  of  its 
future  success,  business  at  that  time  began  to  expand. 

The  first  store  is  said  to  have  been  opened  by  John  Arring- 
ton  andH.  M.  Jorgans  in  1877,  in  a  building  afterwards  oc- 
cupied by  M.  V.  Walk  as  a  blacksmith  shop.  In  this  same 
building  was  kept  the  first  post-office  of  Spearfish,  estab- 
lished in  1877,  with  H.  M.  Jorgans  as  first  postmaster,  and 
Jas.  Rogers  as  first  United  States  mail  carrier. 

The  second  merchant  was  J.  C.  Ryan,  who,  in  the  fall 
of  1877,  erected  a  one-story  frame  building  twenty  by  forty 
feet,  and  opened  a  stock  of  general  merchandise.     In  1883 


552 


THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


Mr.  Ryan  erected  a  two-story  frame  building  twenty-six  by 
fifty   feet  with  fire-proof  cellar  underneath.     The   second 


SPEARFISH    TOWN    IN    1877. 


floor    of    this    building  was   designed  and   occupied   as   a 
Masonic  Hall. 

The  first  regular  hostelry  in  Spearfish,  called  the  Spear- 
fish  Hotel,  was  built  by  P.  C.  Riley,  Jas.  Ryan,  and  Tony 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THK    DAKOTAHS.  553 

Gei-ig,  in  the  fall  of  1877,  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by 
the  Speartish  House.  After  a  few  months,  Kiley  bought 
the  interests  of  his  copartners  and  conducted  the  business 
alone  during  the  winter,  when  he  in  turn  sokl  the  establish- 
ment and  its  patronage  to  Jas.  Rogers.  Prior  to  the  build- 
ing of  this  hotel,  however,  a  sort  of  a  lunch-room  was 
kept  for  a  short  time  in  a  log  cabin  by  the  same  gentlemen, 
one  of  whom  superintended  the  culinary  department,  and 
did  the  cooking. 

The  first  sawmill  was  built  and  operated  by  M.  B.  Good- 
sell,  in  the  spring  of  1877,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the 
iSpearfish  Milling  Company. 

The  first  blacksmith  shop  was  opened  by  Kellar  Bradley 
in  1877  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Tom  Mathews,  and  the 
first  livery  stable  was  established  by  P,  C.  Riley  during  the 
same  year. 

The  first  to  establish  the  practice  of  law  in  Spearfish 
was  W.  W.  Bradley,  early  in  1877,  and  moreover  Mr. 
Bradley  is  also  entitled  to  the  distinction  of  having  per- 
formed the  first  marriage  ceremony  —  if  ceremony  it  can 
be  called  —  in  June,  1877.  This  first  marriage  was  solem- 
nized under  somewhat  peculiar  circumstances.  When  John 
Henry  Skinner  and  Jessie  Edwins  decided  to  be  "  spliced  " 
and  made  one,  they  were  confronted  by  a  grave  difiiculty. 
There  was  no  one  in  Spearfish  at  that  date,  endowed  with 
legal  authority  to  perform  the  sacred  ceremony,  so,  in  their 
dilemma,  they  appealed  to  Attorney  Bradley,  then  the  only 
lawyer  in  the  town,  to  help  them  out  of  the  difiiculty.  He 
advised  that  he  could  tie  the  "  nuptial  knot,"  so  that  it 
would  hold  through  sunshine  and  shadow,  through  evil  as 
well  as  good  report.  He  argued  with  himself  that  mar- 
riage was  a  civil  contract,  and,  in  that  belief ,  he  proceeded 
to  draw  up  a  contract  for  their  signatures.  Appended  is 
the  contract  verbatim  et  literatim:  — 

This  agreement,  made  and  entered  into  this  first  day  of 
June,  1878,  by  and  between  John  Henry  Skinner,  party 
of  the  first  part,  and  Jessie  Edwins  of  Spearfish,  Lawrence 


554  THE    BLACK    HFLLS  ;    OR, 

County,  South  Dakota,  party  of  the  second  part,  wit- 
nesseth:  That  whereas  the  said  first  and  second  parties  have 
by  these  presents,  agreed  and  contracted  in  good  faith  and 
virtue  to  become  man  and  wife,  and  that  there  being  no 
ofiicer  of  the  law  or  minister  of  the  gospel  to  perform  the 
ceremony  of  marriage,  therefore  we,  the  said  parties  above 
mentioned,  in  presence  of  two  witnesses,  do  hereby  bind 
ourselves  in  all  law  of  any  State  or  Territory,  both  moral 
and  equitable,  to  be  henceforth  husband  and  wife,  in  the 
true  legal  and  equitable  and  moral  sense  of  the  terra. 

The  said  first  party  agreeing  to  do  and  perform  all  acts 
towards  said  second  party  that  are  required  bv  law,  and 
that  I,  the  said  John  Henry  Skinner,  do  by  these  presents, 
agree  to  take  the  said  Jessie  Edwins  as  my  true  and  lawful 
wife,  her  to  love,  defend  and  care  for,  in  sickness  or  in 
health,  and  forsaking  all  others  until  death  do  us  part. 
And  the  said  Jessie  Edwins,  party  of  the  second  part,  agrees 
to  take  the  said  Henry  Skinner  as  her  true  and  lawful  hus- 
band, him  to  love,  cherish  and  defend,  in  sickness  and  in 
health,  forsaking  all  others  as  long  as  we  both  do  live. 

Witness  our  hands  and  seal,  this  the  day  and  year  above 
mentioned. 

John  Henry  Skinner. 

Jessie  Edwins. 
Witnesses: 

James  Fortune, 
Flora  Osborne, 
R.  H.  Evans. 

What  fee  he  received  for  the  important  document  tradi- 
tion sa3'eth  not. 

The  first  school  in  Spearfish  was  a  private  school  opened 
in  the  fall  of  1877,  and  taught  by  Miss  Pettigrew —  now 
Mrs.  R.  H.  Evans  —  in  a  private  house  owned  by  John 
Ingersoll. 

The  first  religious  services  are  said  to  have  been  held  by 
Rev.  George  Reed  —  Methodist  —  in  1878,  though  no 
church  building  was  erected  until  years  later. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THC    DAKOTAIIS.  555 

During  the  same  year  a  Congregational  society  was  or- 
ganized, and  in  1879  a  frame  church  building  was  erected 
and  used  jointly  for  church  and  academic  school  purposes 
until  1882,  when  the  society  began  the  erection  of  a  hand- 
some Gothic  church  edifice  north  of  the  city  on  ground 
donated  by  Joseph  Riimsdell.  The  building  was  completed 
in  1883  at  a  cost  of  about  $4,000.  Much  of  the  credit  for 
its  accomplishment  is  said  to  be  due  to  the  efforts  of  M.  F. 
Connors,  who  contributed  liberally  to  the  building  fund. 

The  first  flouring  mill  was  built  by  C.  V.  Gardner  and 
Porter  Warner  —  then  proprietor  of  the  Deadwood  Daily 
Times  —  in  1879.  The  mill,  which  employed  the  grinding 
process,  was  propelled  by  water-power  furnished  by  Spear- 
fish  creek,  and  operated  exclusively  on  home-grown  wheat. 

In  1883  a  new  mill,  upon  the  roller  plan,  with  a  capacity 
of  100  barrels  per  day,  was  erected  by  the  Spearfish  Mill- 
ing Company,  composed  of  Spearfish  and  Crook  City  capi- 
talists. The  motor  power  for  these  enlarged  operations 
was  furnished  by  an  immense  flume  bringing  water  from  the 
creek  to  the  mill,  with  a  fall  of  seventeen  feet. 

The  first  drug  store  was  opened  in  June,  1878,  by  Dr.  J. 
M.  Louthan  and  George  Stotts,  in  a  building  located  on 
the  corner  of  Sixth  and  I  streets.  Dr.  Louthan  was  also 
the  first  to  start  the  practice  of  medicine;  in  fact,  he  was 
the  only  physician  in  Spearfish  for  a  number  of  years. 

It  appears  from  data  obtained  that  the  Spearfish  Valley 
Gazette  —  edited  by  John  M.  Elliott  —  was  the  first  news- 
paper published  in  Spearfish,  the  first  sheet  appearing  on 
May  7lh,  1881,  and  John  Cashner  is  entitled  to  the  distinc- 
tion of  having  taken  the  first  paper  from  the  press. 

The  Dakota  Weekly  Register,  an  eight-column  folio,  was 
established  less  than  a  month  later  by  Messrs.  C.  V.  Gard- 
ner and  John  Johnston,  the  initial  number  appearing  on 
June  4th,  1881.  In  1883  Mr.  Gardner  retired  from  the 
firm,  leaving  the  enterprise  under  the  sole  proprietorship 
and  management  of  Mr.  Johnston.  On  the  1st  of  Decem- 
ber, 1885,  Henry  &  Grant  took  charge  of  the  paper,  which, 


556 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


ou  November  1st,   1896,  passed  into  the  hands  of  A.  C. 
Potter,  under  whose  manaoenient  it  continued  until  Decem- 


ber 3d,   1898,  on  which  date  it  went  into  the  hands  of  its 
present  proprietor^  F.  B.  Corum. 

The  first  banlv  opened  in  Spearfish  was  a  private  institu- 
tion   established    by  Stebbins,  Fox  &  Co.,  in  November, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  557 

1882,  with  J.  F.  Summers  as  its  first  cashier.  The  bank 
building  of  Stebbins,  Fox  &  Co.  was  the  first  brick  struc- 
ture erected  in  Spearfish.  This  private  concern  was  organ- 
ized under  the  territorial  hiws  in  1887  under  the  title  of 
the  Bank  of  Spearfish,  with  L.  W.  Valentine  as  president 
and  J.  F.  Summers  as  cashier.  The  bank  organized  in 
1887  is  identical  with  the  present  bank  of  Spearfish. 

The  first  furniture  store  in  Spearfish  was  opened  by  John 
Johnston  in  1882,  on  H  street  between  Fifth  and  Sixth 
streets. 

The  first  exclusive  dry  goods  store  was  opened  by  M. 
Liebman,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  W.  L.  Graham  on 
Sixth  street  between  H  and  I  streets,  and  the  first  clothing 
store  by  Zoellner  Bros.  &  Co.,  on  H  street  between  P'ifth 
and  Sixth  streets,  in  September,  1891. 

In  1883  an  association,  which,  although  essentially  a 
Spearfish  institution,  was  called  the  Lawrence  County 
Agricultural  Association,  was  organized  with  the  following 
officers:  J.  C.  Ryan  of  Spearfish,  President;  L.  W.  Val- 
entine, of  Crook  City,  Vice-President;  W.  P.  Lindley, 
Secretary.  The  first  fair  of  the  association,  held  on  the 
grounds  adjacent  to  Spearfish,  on  October  of  that  year,  is 
pronounced  to  have  been  a  decided  success,  the  exhibition 
of  stock,  grain,  vegetables,  poultry,  etc.,  having  been 
exceedingly  fine. 

Speaking  of  this  association  brings  to  mind  a  combina- 
tion formed  at  an  early  date  by  the  producers  of  Spearfish 
valley,  called  the  "Farmers'  Club."  This  organization, 
which,  in  view  of  the  convictions  of  the  average  farmer  of 
to-day,  was,  to  say  the  least,  remarkable,  was  in  the  nature 
of  a  "  trust,"  formed  for  the  purpose  of  controlling  the 
price  of  grain  in  the  markets  of  the  Hills.  One  of  the  sec- 
tions of  the  constitution  of  the  "Club,"  which  embodied 
rules  as  binding  as  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  is 
as  follows,  and  is  well  worthy  of  preservation:  — 

Preamble  :  "  Whereas  the  farmers  of  Lawrence  County, 
Dakota  Territory, believing  that  they  can  better  regulate  and 


558  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

control  the  prices  of  their  produce  of  all  kinds,  by  a  more 
perfect  organization,  do  by  these  presents,  agree  to  adopt 
a  constitution,  by-laws,  and  rules,  as  the  laws  of  said 
organization." 

Section  of  Constitution:  "  The  members  of  this  '  club  ' 
hereby  agree  not  to  sell  oats  or  barley  for  a  less  price  than 
two  and  one-half  cents  per  pound,  at  any  of  the  mining  or 
gulch  towns,  including  Crook  City,  and  two  cents  per 
pound  in  all  the  valley  towns  and  valleys  where  the  s^vme 
is  raised,  and  the  penalty  for  violating  any  part  of  this 
section,  by  any  member  of  this  '  club  '  shall  be  a  forfeiture 
by  such  member  of  the  sura  of  $100.00,  to  be  paid  to  this 
club  immediately  upon  ascertaining  that  a  violation  has 
been  committed,  and  the  officers  of  the  club  are  hereby 
authorized  to  sue  and  recover  the  same  from  any  member 
violating  the  provisions  of  this  section. 

*'The  above  shall  be  binding  by  law  upon  all  members 
until  the  first  day  of  June,  1880." 

How  long  after  that  time  this  peculiar  organization  was 
continued  is  not  known,  but  perhaps  it  was  merged  into 
the  Farmers'  Alliance  in  1888  or  1889. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  559 


CHAPTER     XXXYII. 

HORSE-THIEVES  AND   CATTLE-RUSTLING  ON   THE   NORTHERN 

FRONTIER. 

Perhaps  the  most  flourishing  and  profitable  industry 
carried  on  in  the  region  lying  north  and  west  of  the  Hills 
during  the  years  extending  from  1877  to  1883,  was  horse- 
stealing, and  what  is  termed,  in  the  vernacular  of  the 
ranges,  "cattle-rustling."  During  those  years,  regularly 
organized  bands  of  professional  thieves  and  rustlers,  the 
record  of  whose  crimes,  followed  sometimes  by  speedy 
retribution,  fills  not  a  few  tragic  pages  in  the  history  of 
Spearfish,  under  the  guise  of  ranchmen  and  hunters,  made 
their  sole  living  by  appropriating  the  stock  that  roamed  at 
large  over  the  northern  plains. 

The  modus  operandi  of  these  banded  outlaws,  many  of 
whom  claimed  ranches  in  remote  and  out-of-the-way  local- 
ities, was  to  run  off"  the  stolen  horses  to  these  hidden  places 
until  a  sufficient  number  were  secured,  when  they  were 
taken  into  Wyoming,  or  some  other  market,  and  sold  for 
good  prices,  while  the  cattle  were  driven  singly  or  in  num- 
bers to  some  secluded  spot,  slaughtered,  their  hides  burned, 
and  the  meat  sold  in  the  markets  of  the  Hills.  It  was  diflS- 
cult  to  detect  them,  as  they  were  ostensibly  disposing  of 
their  own  property,  and  even  if  cattle,  bearing  the  brand 
of  their  owners,  were  traced  and  found  on  the  premises  of 
the  thieves,  it  furnished  no  proof  that  they  had  been  stolen, 
as  the  wide  expanse  of  prairie  was  their  legitimate  range. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  law  was  practically  power- 
less to  protect  private  property  and  the  thieves  were  suf- 
fered to  continue  their  nefarious  traffic,  unwhii)ped  of 
justice  for  years.  Receiving  but  little  protection  from  the 
courts,  the  settlers  and  stock-owners,  exasperated  beyond 


560  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

the  point  of  endurance  b}'^  their  frequent  losses  and  the 
boldness  of  the  thieves,  finally  resolved  to  take  the  law 
into  their  own  hands.  So  one  night,  early  in  1877,  a  few 
determined  men  met  in  secret  conclave,  bound  themselves 
together  by  an  iron-clad  oath,  and  issued  forth,  sworn  to 
mete  out  summary  justice  to  every  "  rustler  "  upon  whom 
they  could  henceforward  lay  their  avenging  hands;  per- 
chance the  innocent  sometimes  suffered  with  the  guilty. 
They  had  not  long  to  wait. 

One  balmy  night  in  August,  1877,  it  was  whispered 
around  that  a  party  of  horse  thieves  was  encamped  in  the 
brush  east  of  Lookout  Mountain,  and  as  it  approached  the 
midnight  watch  a  small  band  of  masked  men  —  vigilants 
they  were  —  armed  to  the  teeth,  carrying  a  rope,  stealthily 
made  their  way  round  the  base  of  the  mountain,  crept  up 
to  the  camp,  captured  two  men  named  Bean  Davis  and 
George  Skeating,  slipped  a  noose  over  each  head,  and 
swung  them  from  the  limb  of  a  near-by  pine  tree,  and  no 
other,  save  the  eye  of  Omniscience,  witnessed  the  tragedy. 
It  was  thought  two  others,  detecting  their  guarded 
approach,  made  their  escape.  The  vigilants  then  silently 
separated,  and  each  retired  to  his  respective  home  and  bed 
to  sleep,  perchance  to  dream  —  of  what? 

Another,  who  died  with  his  l)oots  on  because  of  his 
natural  or  acquired  penchant  for  other  people's  horses,  was 
Jack  Cole,  a  local  celebrity  known  around  Spearfish  as 
"  Buckskin  Jack,"  and,  by  the  way,  I  wonder  if  he  was  the 
same  "Buckskin"  who  joined  the  "  Centennial  Party," 
while  en  route  to  the  Hills  early  in  the  spring  of  1876.  If 
so,  he  became  short  on  moral  scruples,  went  north  on  the 
range,  joined  the  gang,  was  finally  caught  and  given  free 
passage  via  the  suspension  route  to  his  last  account.  Poor 
Buckskin  ! 

The  most  notorious  as  well  as  the  most  nefarious  of 
the  outlaws  who  for  years  infested  the  region  northeast 
and  west  of  the  Hills  were  what  is  widely  known  as  the 
Exelbee  gang,  composed  of  such  names  as  John  Campbell, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  561 

Billy  McCarthy  or  the  *'  Kid,"  Chas.  Brown  or  "  Broncho 
Charley,"  and  Alex.  Grady,  with  George  Exelbee  as  chief. 
Members  of  the  gang  frequently  visited  the  settlements  in 
the  garb  of  hunters  or  cowboys,  for  the  purpose,  so  to 
speak,  of  spying  out  the  land,  and  even  men  engaged  in 
legitimate  business  were  sometimes,  under  the  cloak  of 
respectability,  found  aiding  and  abetting  the  gang  and 
sharing  in  its  proKts. 

In  1878  some  of  the  citizens  of  the  town  were  suspected, 
their  movements  watched,  and  finally  after  a  good  deal  of 
detective  work  on  the  part  of  the  citizens,  were  caught. 
One  night,  long  after  the  shadows  fell,  two  of  the  suspects 
were  discovered  driving  off  cattle  not  their  own,  and  were 
followed.  About  midnight  they  halted  to  rest,  went  into 
camp,  and  while  sleeping  were  surrounded  by  the  grim 
avengers  and  captured.  No  explanation  was  asked  of  the 
trembling  culprits,  and  none  was  needed.  They  had  been 
caught  in  the  commission  of  the  crime,  to  expiate  which, 
they  were  soon  struggling  in  mid-air  from  the  limb  of  a 
tree,  where  the  bodies  were  left  and  afterwards  found. 

Another  man  who  was  strongly  suspected  of  being 
secretly  connected  with  the  notorious  Exelbee  gang,  now 
recalled,  was  J.  B.  Pruden,  mail  contractor,  express  agent, 
and  stage  owner  on  the  route  from  Miles  City  to  Spearfish. 
Pruden  was  finally  arrested  at  the  former  place  by  a 
Deputy  United  States  Marshal,  who  telegraphed  to  United 
States  Marshal  A.  A.  Raymond  at  Deadwood  to  send  an 
officer  for  the  prisoner.  Fred.  A.  Willard,  who  was  deputy 
at  Spearfish,  deputized  J.  W.  Ryan  to  go  to  Miles  City  and 
bring  Pruden  to  Deadwood  to  be  tried  by  the  courts. 

In  the  winter  of  1883-4  the  curtain  finally  dropped  on 
the  long  wicked  career  of  the  Exelbee  gang,  at  Stonewall, 
Montana.  The  story  of  the  closing  scenes  of  the  tragic 
drama,  is,  shorn  of  tedious  details,  about  as  follows  :  — 

The  outlaws  in  their  extended  raids  had  visited  the 
Indian  reservations  on  the  Missouri  river  and  stolen  a  lot 
of  Indian  horses.     Complaint   was  made   by  the  agent  to 

36 


562  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

the  United  States  District  Attorney  at  Deadwood,  and  a 
warrant  was  issued  for  the  arrest  of  the  thieves  and  placed 
in  the  hands  of  Deputy  United  States  Marshal  A.  J.  Ray- 
mond, of  Deadwood,  who  at  once  put  officers  on  the  trail. 
The  outlaws,  having  doubtless  been  forewarned  of  the 
danger  of  their  being  caught  in  the  meshes  of  the  law,  had 
packed  their  personal  equipments,  and  moved  out  west- 
ward for  Miles  City.  Officers  Fred.  A.  Willard  and  Jack 
O'Harra,  of  Spearfish,  and  Capt.  A.  M.  Willard,  of  Dead- 
wood,  armed  with  due  process  of  law,  as  well  as  trusty 
guns,  mounted  their  horses  and  started  in  hot  pursuit  of 
their  game,  like  sleuths  on  the  track  of  a  murderer. 

Dr.  J.  M.  Louthan,  O.  F.  Howard,  Dan  Stout,  Osman 
Onge,  J.  Talbot,  D.  Scoop,  H.  Hood,  Billy  Howe,  John 
Bell,  and  Bill  Gay,  from  Spearfish,  and  Deputy  United 
States  Marshals  A.  A.  Raymond,  J.  C.  Duffy,  E.  P.  Jack- 
son, and  Fred  Bartlett,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Babcock,  as 
surgeon  from  Deadwood,  followed,  but  did  not  arrive  in 
time  to  participate  in  the  battle. 

The  five  mounted  bandits  with  three  pack  horses  were 
overtaken  at  a  place  called  Stonewall,  Montana,  where  a 
desperate  fight  occurred,  resulting  in  the  death  of  one  of 
the  officers,  Jack  O'Harra,  and  the  mortal  wounding  of  each 
member  of  the  gang,  except  "  Billy  the  Kid,"  who  escaped 
unscathed.  Upon  discovering  their  game,  the  ofiicers  cir- 
cled around  to  the  northward  and  climbed  a  little  eminence 
where  they  could  command  the  situation,  when  Willard, 
taking  position  with  O'Harra  on  the  right,  called  to  the 
leader,  Exelbee:  "  I  have  a  warrant  for  your  arrest;" 
whereupon  the  outlaws  turned  and  faced  the  ofiicers,  when 
the  shooting  began  on  both  sides.  Willard's  first  shot 
struck  Campbell,  who  threw  up  his  hands  and  fell  from  his 
horse,  and  at  about  the  same  moment  O'Harra  was  heard 
to  exclaim  :  "  I  guess  I  am  killed  !  "  Willard  threw  his  arms 
around  him  as  he  was  about  to  fall,  when  a  shot  from  the 
rear  penetrated  his  left  shoulder,  glanced  across  and  came 
out  at  the  right,  causing  a  serious  though  not  dangerous 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THK  DAKOTAHS.     503 

flesh  wound.  O'Harra  lived  about  ten  minutes.  About 
the  fourth  shot  Exelbee  was  seen  to  throw  up  his  hands 
and  fall  from  his  horse.  By  this  time  the  officers  dis- 
covered that  they  were  being  fired  at  from  the  rear  by 
"  Kid,"  who  had  taken  refuge  behind  a  pile  of  lumber, 
from  where  he  had  shot  the  two  officers.  During  the  tight 
two  more  of  the  outlaws  were  wounded,  the  three  pack- 
horses,  and  two  saddle-horses  killed,  and  two  saddle-horses 
captured  by  the  officers,  leaving  them  only  one  horse,  with 
which  to  make  good  their  escape. 

Exelbee  and  his  men  then  retreated  into  the  brush,  made 
a  circuit  and  came  out  on  the  opposite  of  the  officers,  from 
where  they  fired  at  a  lot  of  cowboys  who  chanced  to  be  in 
the  vicinity,  killing  one  Billy  Cunningham  and  wounding 
another,  named  Jack  Harris,  who  later  died  as  a  result  of 
the  wound. 

SEQUEL    TO    THE    FIGHT. 

That  night  Exelbee,  the  wounded  chief,  came  to  Sheldon's 
ranch,  five  miles  above,  with  three  of  his  comrades,  and 
begged  for  bread,  bandages,  and  money,  —  saying  he  was 
soiusr  to  leave  the  country  as  it  was  becoming  too  torrid  for 
him.  The  next  day,  Campbell,  who  had  gotten  separated 
from  the  others,  sent  to  Humphrey  Hood,  foreman  of  the 
Hash-knife  cattle  ranch,  by  a  stage  driver  named  Chase,  the 
following  pleading  note  which  tells  its  own  story  :  — 

Dear  Hood:  "  I  was  badly  wounded  in  the  head  during 
the  fight  yesterday  and  my  horse  was  killed.  The  boys 
were  all  shot  to  pieces  and  scattered.  For  God's  sake  send 
me  a  horse  by  bearer  as  soon  as  it  is  dark  enough  to  get 
away  from  the  officers." 

Hood,  not  wishing  to  be  implicated,  sent  the  note  to 
Officer  Willard,  who  detained  the  bearer.  Chase,  until  dark, 
when  he  and  Chas.  Conley  went  with  Chase  to  the  cabin 
where  Campbell  was  hidden,  five  miles  away.     Upon  reach- 


564  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

iDg  the  place  Chase  was  ordered  to  take  one  of  the  horses 
and  fasten  him  at  the  gate,  then  go  inside  and  tell  Camp- 
bell that  there  was  a  horse  for  him  outside.  Campbell  soon 
came  out  with  a  pistol  in  his  right  and  a  ride  in  his  left  hand 
and  when  half  way  to  the  gate  Willard  called  to  him  to  throw 
up  his  hands.  Instead  of  complying  he  commenced  shoot- 
ing in  the  direction  of  the  voice,  whereupon  Willard  and 
Conley  both  fired  at  the  desperate  man  and  he  fell  dead. 
On  the  Friday  following,  February  22d,  Tuttle  was  brought 
to  Spearfish  and  placed  in  the  county  hospital,  where  Dr. 
Louthan  examined  the  wounded  arm  and  found  that 
amputation  would  be  necessary.  The  operation  was  never 
performed,  for,  as  the  tragic  story  goes  —  Ah,  pity,  'tis, 
'tis  true  —  during  the  silent  hours  one  dark  night  a  band  of 
six  masked  men  entered  the  hospital  where  the  sufferer 
slept,  gagged  him,  and  carried  him  away  groaning  with 
pain,  the  inmates  of  the  hospital  meanwhile  not  daring  to 
make  any  outcry  against  the  procedure.  The  next  morn- 
ing, the  27th,  his  rigid  body,  clad  only  in  a  thin  cotton  shirt, 
and  a  bandage  around  his  neck,  supporting  his  wounded 
arm,  was  seen  swinging  like  a  pendulum  from  the  limb  of 
an  oak  tree  in  the  cold  winter  wind,  bearing  every  indica- 
tion that  he  had  slowly  choked  to  death.  Poor,  misguided 
man,  even  now  I  brush  aside  a  tear  at  the  remembrance 
of  his  unhappy  fate. 

Tuttle  was  born  and  reared  in  the  lap  of  luxury,  —  a 
father's  pride  and  a  fond  mother's  joy,  doubtless.  He  had 
been  educated  in  the  best  schools  of  this  country,  and  was 
then  sent  abroad  to  complete  his  studies.  His  father  died 
leaving  him  a  fortune  of  $40,000,  or  |50,000,  when  he  left 
New  York  City  and  came  to  the  "wild  and  woolly"  West, 
landing  in  Minnesota  where  he  opened  the  drug  business 
with  a  partner.  Inexperienced  in  the  ways  of  the  un- 
trammeled  W^est,  and  susceptible  perhaps  to  evil  influences, 
he  soon  squandered  his  heritage,  and  was  left  penniless. 
After  wandering  from  one  point  to  another  for  a  time  he 
came  to  the  Hills  and  went  onto  the  cattle  range,  joined 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAH.S.  5G5 

the  gang,  as  an  easy  way  to  make  a  living,  and  Hnully  ended 
his  once  promising  life,  as  stated. 

The  breaking  up  of  this  notorious  gang  had  the  effect  of 
putting  a  final  quietus  on  the  several  bands  of  horse  and 
cattle  thieves  who  had  infested  the  Black  Hills  for  many 
years  and  stock-owners  were  after  that  left  to  their  pursuits 
urmiolested. 

HOW  SPEARFISH  CAME  TO  BE  CALLED  THE  QUEEN  CITY. 

Perhaps  there  are  some  in  the  Black  Hills  who  do  not 
know  how  Spearfish  came  to  be  honored  with  the  appella- 
tion of  "The  Queen  City  of  the  Hills,"  therefore  it  may 
not  be  out  of  place  to  relate  the  circumstances  under  which 
it  received  that  distinction.  This  is  the  way  it  originated: 
At  its  first  public  celebration  of  our  great  national  holiday, 
July  4th,  1878,  Judge  Bradley  of  that  city  —  brimming  over 
with  patriotism,  as  well  as  admiration  for  and  loyalty  to 
his  adopted  city,  in  his  address  of  welcome  gave  eloquent 
expression  to  the  following  trul}^  poetic  sentiments:  — 

"  We  throw  wide  open  the  gates  of  the  city  and  bid  you 
welcome  to  the  land  of  the  wild  rose,  and  the  home  of  the 
golden  £>;rain.  Come  and  kiss  the  gentle  zephvrs  mid  the 
wild  flowers  —  sweeter  than  Eros  ever  sipped  from  the  lips 
of  Psyche.  We  lay  upon  the  altars  of  our  homes  our 
hearts  and  our  hospitality,  and  again  we  bid  you  welcome, 
yea,  a  hundred  times  welcome,  to  Spearfish,  '  The  Queen 
City  of  the  Hills.'  " 

This  fitting  title  has  clung  to  Spearfish  since  that  time, 
and  probably  will  continue  to  cling  to  it  for  all  time  to 
come.  At  that  first  public  celebration  of  the  day  of  our 
nation's  birth  at  Spearfish,  Lorin  E,  Gaff'ey,  now  Judge  of 
the  Sixth  Judicial  District  of  South  Dakota,  delivered  the 
oration. 

PUBLIC    SCHOOL. 

The  Spearfish  public  school  district  was  first  organized 
in  the  fall  of  1878,  R.  H.  Evans,  J.  B.  Black,  and  L.  W. 


566  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Stone,  constituting  the  tirst  board  of  the  district,  and  the 
first  term  of  the  public  school  was  taught  by  Miss  Petti- 
grew,  now  Mrs.  R.  H.  Evans,  in  a  log  cabin  that  stood  on 
the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Burlington  &  Missouri 
Railway  depot,  with  an  attendance  of  fourteen  pupils. 
For  a  few  years  the  schools  were  taught  in  rented  rooms, 
which,  proving  inadequate,  a  commodious  public  school 
building  was  erected  in  1881,  at  a  cost  of  $5,000.00.  On 
the  tirst  of  November  of  that  year  the  building  was  dedi- 
cated, since  which  time  the  school  has  grown  and  flour- 
ished. From  the  time  of  the  opening  of  the  first  term  in 
1878  with  one  teacher  and  fourteen  pupils,  the  school  has 
increased  to  an  enrollment  of  230  pupils,  separated  into 
four  departments  requiring  the  employment  of  five 
instructors. 

In  April,  1897,  Spearfish  was  organized  into  an  inde- 
pendent school  district,  and  a  Board  of  Education  provided 
for  by  special  act  of  the  Legislature  to  consist  of  two  mem- 
bers from  each  of  the  three  wards  of  the  city  and  a  mem- 
ber at  large.  The  members  of  the  first  board  were  :  P.  J. 
M.  Burgess,  President;  Hiram  Dodson,  J.  T.  McConachie, 
Hugh  Gibson,  Mrs.  Viola  Smith,  W.  A.  Zink,  and  J.  H. 
Russell;  Henry  Court,  Clerk. 

SPEARFISH   NORMAL    SCHOOL. 

On  a  commanding  site  on  the  northwestern  limits  of  the 
city  is  located  the  State  Normal  School  —  the  especial 
boast  and  pride  of  the  Queen  City  of  the  Hills.  The  edi- 
fice is  a  handsome  three-storied  structure,  in  full  Roman- 
esque style  of  architecture,  surmounted  directly  over  the 
main  entrance  by  an  imposing  tower,  which  is  almost  the 
first  object  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  visitor  entering 
the  city  from  any  direction.  The  superstructure,  which  rests 
upon  a  half-story  basement  of  stone  work,  is  constructed 
of  brick,  ornamented  with  light  gray  sandstone,  roofed 
with  metallic  shingles,  and  presents  with  its  environ- 
ments of  shade  trees  and  cultivated  acres  of  luscious  small 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  567 

fruits,  a  very  attractive,  and,  I  might  add,  an  exceedingly 
tempting  appearance. 

The  interior  arrangements  of  the  building,  which  nearly 
approach  perfection,  compare  favorably  in  design,  finish, 
and  equipment,  with  the  best  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the 
West.  It  is  provided  with  a  commodious  assembly  room, 
study  and  recitation  rooms,  laboratory,  library,  gymnasium, 
etc.,  each  of  which  is  handsomely  and  appropriate!}^  fur- 
nished, and  fitted  with  hot  and  cold  registers,  thus  plac- 
ing the  temperature  of  the  rooms  under  the  complete  con- 
trol of  the  occupants.  The  library  is  well  filled  with  works 
of  the  best  standard  literature,  but  is  especially  developed 
along  the  line  of  science  and  applied  mechanics,  and  the 
museum  contains  an  extensive  and  valuable  collection  of 
minerals,  fossils,  and  curios.  In  the  basement  are  the  fur- 
naces, the  manual  training  rooms,  carpenter  shop,  gymna- 
sium, and  fuel  rooms. 

The  curriculum  of  the  institution  embraces  a  wide  range 
of  studies,  including  music,  drawing,  bookkeeping,  stenog- 
raphy, physics,  chemistry,  natural  science,  Latin,  history, 
and  pedagogics.  The  course  of  instruction  in  these  branches 
is  thorough  and  complete,  especially  so  along  the  line  of 
pedagogics,  and  some  of  the  best  equipped  teachers  in  the 
Black  Hills  have  received  their  training  within  its  classic 
walls.  Under  the  efficient  management  of  its  principal, 
Fayette  L.  Cook,  aided  by  a  corps  of  competent  instruct- 
ors, the  institution  has  acquired  an  enviable  reputation 
throughout  the  State,  and  attracts  a  large  attendance,  some 
from  remote  localities,  and  is  a  monument  to  the  enterprise 
of  the  men  through  whose  unflagging  and  untiring  efforts 
the  institution  was  made  possible.  The  inception  of  the 
enterprise  appears  to  have  been  hedged  about  by  many  dis- 
couraging difficulties  and  failures,  as  the  following  brief 
account  will  illustrate  :  — 

The  first  steps  towards  the  establishment  of  the  school 
were  taken  in  1881,  when  a  bill  introduced  by  Frank  J. 
Washabaugh  passed  the  Territorial  Legislature,  authorizing : 


568  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

"  That  a  Noimul  School  for  the  Territory  of  Dakota  be 
established  at  Spearfish,  Lawrence  County,  the  exclusive 
purpose  of  which  shall  be  the  instruction  of  persons  both 
male  and  female  in  the  art  of  teaching,  and  in  all  the  vari- 
ous branches  that  pertain  to  a  good  common  school  educa- 
tion, also  to  give  instruction  in  the  mechanical  arts,  and  in 
husbandry  and  agricultural  chemistry,  in  the  fundamental 
laws  of  the  United  States,  and  in  what  regards  the  riijhts 
and  duties  of  citizens;  provided,  that  a  tract  of  land  not 
less  than  forty  acres  be  donated  and  secured  to  the  Terri- 
tory of  Dakota,  in  fee  simple,  as  a  site  for  said  Normal 
school,  within  six  months  from  the  taking  effect  of  this 
act  ;  and  the  Governor  of  the  Territory  is  hereby  em- 
powered, and  it  is  made  his  duty  to  see  that  a  good  and 
sufficient  deed,  so  far  as  can  be,  be  made  to  the  Territory 
for  the  same." 

Through  failure  to  comply  with  the  requirements  of  the 
act,  in  the  matter  of  securing  a  site  within  the  specified 
time,  the  law  became  null  and  void.  At  the  legislative 
session  of  1883,  the  same  bill  was  again  introduced  by  Mr. 
Washabaugh,  and  again  passed  through  both  branches  of  the 
Legislature.  Messrs.  Joseph  Ramsdell  of  Spearfish,  R.  D. 
Millett  of  Lead,  and  F.  P.  Bass  of  Central,  were  appointed 
on  the  Board  of  Directors  who,  upon  receiving  their  cre- 
dentials, at  once  proceeded  to  secure  the  requisite  ground. 
Various  eligible  sites  were  offered  at  prices  ranging  from 
$3,000.00  to  $800.00,  the  latter  offer  being  made  by  Mr. 
John  Maurer,  for  the  ground  on  which  the  Normal  building 
now  stands,  consisting  of  forty  acres  of  land  traversed  by 
two  irrigating  ditches,  which,  being  the  cheapest  eligible 
site,  was  favored  by  the  board.  Before  entering  into 
arrangements  for  the  transfer  of  the  ground,  however,  a 
citizens'  meeting  was  called,  at  which  two  of  the  citizens 
of  Spearfish,  M.  C.  Connors  and  W.  F.  Powers,  offered  to 
donate  the  ground  jointly  —  the  latter  to  give  twenty  acres 
from  his  ground  on  the  plateau  south  of  town  and  the 
former    to    purchase  an   equal  number  of  acres  from  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  509 

Bradley  farm  adjoining.  The  board  readily  accepted  the 
offer,  and  agreed  to  build  the  school  on  the  donated  ground. 

Accordingly  Messrs.  Connors  and  Powers  executed  a 
deed  to  the  aforesaid  grounds  to  the  Territory  and  had 
it  recorded,  but  contrary  to  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the 
act,  it  contained  the  proviso  that  the  said  premises  are 
to  be  used  by  the  said  Territory  for  the  said  purpose  with- 
in two  years  from  the  date  thereof,  and  if  not  so  used  by 
the  said  Territory,  the  said  property  shall  revert  to  said 
M.  C.  Connors  and  W.  T.  Powers,  respectively.  The  deed 
was  forwarded  to  Gov.  N.  J.  Ordway  in  August,  within 
less  than  a  month  of  the  time  when  the  law  would  again 
become  inoperative. 

Upon  receipt  of  the  document  the  Governor  sent  the 
following  dispatch :  — 

Bismarck,  D.  T.,  August  28th,  1883. 
Jos.  Ramsdell,  Spearfish  : 

Acts  of  1883  provide  bond  must  be  secured  to  Territory, 
in  fee  simple.  See  chapter  20,  special  act  session  laws  of 
1883.     I  cannot  accept  any  other  form  of  title. 

(Signed)         N.  J.  Ordway, 

Governor. 

Upon  receipt  of  dispatch  Mr.  Ramsdell  appealed  to  the 
donors,  who  refused  to  amend  the  deed  to  conform  to  the  re- 
quirements of  the  Act,  when  the  board  renewed  the  effort  to 
secure  the  Maurer  site,  which  was  successful.  The  ground 
was  purchased  at  the  terms  aforementioned,  and  a  deed  in 
fee  simple  made  to  the  Territory  therefor  just  in  time  to 
save  the  Act  from  o-oino^  a  second  time  into  the  Governor's 
waste  basket.  The  purchase  fund  for  the  site  was  secured 
by  subscription  among  those  friendly  to  the  enterprise. 

On  the  strength  of  the  merger  appropriation  of  $5,000.00 
for  building,  and  $2,000.00  for  first  year's  running  ex- 
penses, the  enterprise  was  launched.  By  dint  of  economy, 
an  apology  for  a  building  was  erected,  and  by  renting  the 
school  furniture  of  the  Congreoational  Academy,  which  had 


570  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

been  discontinued,  it  was  made  possible  to  open  the  school 
on  the  14th  of  April,  1884,  with  Prof.  Van  B.  Baker  as 
first  principal  and  an  attendance  at  the  opening  of  term  of 
tvventy  students,  which  soon  increased  to  forty.  The  open- 
ing year  of  the  school  under  the  principalship  of  Prof.  Van 
B.  Baker  appears  not  to  have  proven  a  glittering  success. 
His  mismanagement  and  general  defalcations  along  the  line 
of  his  school  duties  became  so  unsatisfactory  to  the  students 
and  distasteful  to  the  patrons  and  the  board  that  he  was 
compelled  to  surrender  the  helm  in  January,  some  months 
before  the  close  of  the  first  school  year,  to  more  judicious 
and  capable  hands. 

The  $2,000  appropriated  for  first  year's  running  ex- 
penses having  become  exhausted,  the  school  remained 
closed  until  the  following  fall.  In  the  interim,  Mr.  Harry 
M.  Gregg,  assisted  by  Mr.  Washabaugh,  succeeded  in 
securing  from  the  Legislature  of  1885  an  appropriation  of 
$5,000  for  the  purchase  of  needed  furniture  and  the  main- 
tenance of  the  school  for  the  two  succeeding  years.  In 
March,  1885,  Gov.  Pierce  appointed  a  new  board  of  direct- 
ors, composed  of  Messrs.  H.  M.  Gregg,  Samuel  Cushman, 
and  Albert  Powers,  who  were  fortunate  in  securing  Fay- 
ette L.  Cook,  the  present  incumbent,  to  take  charge  of  the 
school. 

On  the  14th  of  September,  1885,  Prof.  Cook  opened 
the  school  for  its  second  term  with  seventeen  students, 
which  number,  under  his  superior  management,  increased 
to  thirty-seven  before  the  close  of  the  first  term.  The  next 
term  the  attendance  increased  to  seventy,  when  it  became 
necessary  to  employ  an  assistant,  for  which  position  the 
services  of  Miss  Zella  Busian,  a  graduate  of  the  Winona 
Normal  School,  Minnesota,  were  secured. 

The  third  year  opened  September  6th,  1886,  with  over 
ninety  students,  while  the  seating  capacity  of  both  rooms 
of  the  school  was  only  seventy-eight,  which,  before  the 
close  of  the  term,  increased  to  an  enrollment  of  104,  be- 
sides a  number  were  refused  admission  for  lack  of  capacity. 


LAST   HUNTING    GROUND    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS.  571 

During  the  third  year  three  assistants  were  employed,  viz.  : 
Miss  Busian,  Miss  W.  A.  Thompson,  and  Miss  Bertha 
Youmans,  the  latter  having  charge  of  the  primary  depart- 
ment of  the  public  school,  which  had,  by  permission  of  the 
district  school  board,  been  converted  into  a  model  school 
for  the  Normal, 

On  June  28th,  1887,  the  first  graduating  class,  consist- 
ing of  Misses  Nettie  M.  Pratt,  Maude  A.  Gardner,  Jean 
Cowgill,  Cora  Grubbs,  May  Chase,  Kate  M.  Kemper,  Sallie 
R.  Pryor,  and  Masters  Harry  M.  Jones,  Richard  G.  Whit- 
ney and  Eugene  T.  Pettigrew,  received  their  diplomas, 
'mid  the  perfume  of  potted  plants  and  bouquets  of  flowers. 

At  the  legislative  session  of  1887  Mr.  John  Wolzmuth 
by  untiring  and  unremitting  effort,  assisted  by  Messrs. 
Patton  and  Stewart  in  the  House,  and  Washabaugh  and 
Wells  in  the  Council,  succeeded  in  securing  the  passage  of 
a  bill  authorizing  the  appropriation  of  $25,000.00  for  the 
construction  of  a  suitable  building,  and  $21,400.00  for  the 
current  expenses  of  the  ensuing  two  years.  The  newly  ap- 
pointed board  of  directors,  Mr.  Wolzmuth,  J.  F.  Summers, 
and  A.  Powers,  under  the  advice  of  the  principal,  set  about 
perfecting  plans  for  a  structure,  worthy  of  the  school, 
which  resulted  in  the  construction  of  the  building  already 
described.  Under  the  experienced  and  skillful  guidance  of 
Professor  Cook,  who  is  still  at  the  helm,  the  institution 
year  by  year  has  grown  in  popularity  until  it  is  to-day  the 
pride,  not  only  of  the  "Queen  City,"  but  of  the  entire 
Black  Hills. 

ORGANIZATION. 

On  March  31st,  1885,  the  town  organization  was  com- 
pleted, with  J.  F.  Summers,  Frank  Welch,  Henry  Keets, 
Jas.  Rogers,  and  J.  A.  Bishop  as  Board  of  Trustees,  of 
which  J.  F.  Summers  was  President,  and  Frank  Overman, 
clerk.  On  June  7th,  1888,  the  town  was  organized  under 
the  general  incorporation  laws  into  the  "  City  of  Spearfish  " 
and  divided  into  three  wards  to  be  represented  iu  the  City 


572  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Council  by  two  members  from  each  ward.  The  first 
officers  of  the  city  were  M.  C.  Connors,  Mayor;  John  A. 
Chirk,  Clerk;  Henry  Keets,  Dr.  J.  M.  Louthan,  Henry 
Court,  W.  H.  Harlow,  H.  A.  Miller,  and  Frank  Welch, 
Aldermen, 

The  Spearfish  water  system,  which  is  owned  by  the  city, 
was  established  during  the  summer  of  1887.  An  abundant 
water  supply  is  drawn  from  mountain  springs,  known  as 
"  Clemmons  Springs,"  some  two  or  three  miles  away,  and 
poured  into  a  reservoir  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  street.  This  is  distributed  through  the 
city,  and  for  defense  against  fires  is  supplemented  by  an 
excellent  fire  department. 

The  Spearfish  Fire  Department,  consisting  of  Hose  Com- 
panies Nos.  1  and  2,  Alert  Hose  Company,  and  one  Hook 
&  Ladder  Company,  was  first  organized  on  April  15th, 
1888,  with  John  A.  Clark  as  its  first  Chief.  The  present 
department  is  represented  by  the  same  companies. 

The  first  daily  newspaper  published  in  Spearfish,  called 
the  Spearfish  Evening  Bulletin  was  established  by  J.  H.  & 
E.  H.  Warren,  the  first  issue  appearing  June  3d,  1889. 
The  Spearfish  Mail,  a  weekly  publication,  was  established 
by  the  same  firm,  on  January  29th,  1889,  and  is  identical  with 
the  Spearfish  Mail  of  to-day.  The  paper,  a  wide-awake, 
readable  sheet,  is  under  the  present  control  and  manage- 
ment of  E.  H.  Warren,  now  member  elect  to  the  House  of 
the  South  Dakota  Legislature. 

The  Spearfish  Electric  Light  system  was  established  in 
1893  by  the  Spearfish  Electric  Light  and  Power  Co.,  com- 
posed of  Chicago  capitalists.  The  lights  are  maintained 
by  a  plant  located  on  Spearfish  river  some  two  and  half 
miles  from  the  city,  at  a  cost  to  the  muncipality  of  $1,260 
per  year.  The  system  is  managed  by  G.  C.  Favorite,  an 
expert  electrician. 

The  manufacturing  industries  of  Spearfish  consist  of  a 
fine  flouring  mill,  stucco  works,  a  planing  mill  and  two 
saw  mills.     Moreover,  among  its    industries    may  also  be 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    UAKOTAHS.  573 

listed  a  cyanide  gold-reduction  plant  which  is  now  in  course 
of  construction,  if,  indeed,  it  is  not  already  finished  and  in 
operation.  The  enterprise  was  projected  and  established 
by  an  organization  known  as  the  Spearfish  Cyanide  Co., 
composed  chiefly  of  "  Bagged  Top  "  mining  men  who 
design  putting  the  plant  in  operation  on  the  refractory 
ores  of  the  Ragged  Top  Mining  district  where  a  group  of 
claims  designated  the  Metallic  Streak,  located  on  Calamity 
gulch,  has  been  leased.  With  commendable  economy  the 
company  leased  an  old  disused  stucco  mill  at  Spearfish, 
which  was  remodeled,  enlarged,  and  equipped  with  the 
requisite  machinery  to  the  capacity  of  twenty-five  tons  of 
ore  per  day.  It  is  claimed  that  the  ore  deposit  which 
crosses  the  claims  is  three  feet  in  thickness  carrying  an 
average  of  $10.00  per  ton  of  gold.  This  with  the  fact  that 
the  claims  are  located  within  easy  hauling  distance  of  the 
B.  and  M.  Station,  reducing  the  cost  of  transportation  to  a 
minimum,  should  insure  to  the  projectors  of  the  enterprise 
profitable  returns  from  their  investment. 

Besides  the  State  Normal  and  public  school  building, 
Spearfish  has  three  places  of  public  worship,  viz.,  the  Con- 
gregational, Methodist,  and  Episcopal  Churches.  There  are 
also  Catholic  and  Christian  societies  which  have  no  church 
buildings.  Among  the  secret  order  are  the  Masonic  and 
Odd  Fellows'  societies,  established  in  1880,  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

With  the  advent  of  the  Burlington  Railway  in  December, 
1893,  Spearfish  was  brought  into  more  vital  commercial 
relations  with  the  trade  centers  of  the  Hills,  since  which 
time  its  growth,  if  not  phenomenally  rapid,  has  been  sure 
and  steadfast.  That  its  stimulating  influence  has  been  felt 
through  every  avenue  of  enterprise  is  indicated  by  its  long 
array  of  business  establishments  of  various  kinds.  Besides 
its  two  newspapers  and  a  flourishing  banking  institution, 
it  has  two  hotels,  three  stores  of  general  merchandise,  one 
exclusive  grocery  store,  one  store  of  dry  goods,  boots  and 
shoes,  one   store   of   groceries,  boots  and  shoes,  two  drug 


574  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

stores,  one  clothing  store,  one  hardware  store,  three  con- 
fectionery and  stationery  stores,  two  variety  stores,  two 
millinery  shops,  three  blacksmith  shops,  three  livery  barns, 
three  barber  shops,  one  photograph  gallery,  one  tailor 
shop,  three  real  estate  offices,  three  doctors,  three  lawyers, 
and  claims  a  present  population  of  1,500  souls. 

While  Spearfish  depends  largely  upon  the  agricultural 
products  of  the  broad  fertile  valleys,  which  spread  out  in 
all  directions,  it  derives  no  inconsiderable  volume  of  its 
trade  from  the  numerous  cattle  ranches,  occupying  the 
foot-hills  and  uplands  bordering  the  valleys,  of  which  it  is 
the  headquarters.  Moreover,  the  valley  of  Spearfish  river 
is  the  natural  outlet  of  several  promising  mining  districts, 
some  of  which  have  been  systematically  developed  in  past 
years,  and  which  with  needed  facilities  will  become  im- 
portant factors  in  the  future  business  economy  of  the  city 
to  which  they  are  tributary. 

Only  twelve  miles  away  to  the  southwest  is  the  once 
famous  "  Nigger  Hill  "  tin  district,  whose  extent  and  rich- 
ness has  been  long  since  demonstrated,  and  which  experts 
declared  produced  five  per  cent  pure  tin.  When  that 
important  industry  is  revived  in  the  Black  Hills,  as  it 
doubtless  will  be  with  changed  conditions,  "  Nigger  Hill  " 
will  doubtless  rival  in  production  any  other  portion  of  the 
Hills.  At  the  foot  of  "  Nigger  Hill  "  are  the  Bear  gulch 
placer  diggings,  which  in  the  early  years  produced  some 
of  the  richest  specimens  of  wash  gold  found  in  the  Black 
Hills,  indicating  the  existence  of  valuable  gold  ledges, 
within  the  drainage  area  of  the  stream.  Near  at  hand  is 
the  erstwhile  booming  silver-lead  carbonate  camp,  the  scene 
of  the  great  "Iron  Hill"  excitement  which  in  1886  com- 
pletely overturned  the  mental  equilibrium  of  even  old  miners 
and  prospectors,  to  say  nothing  of  inexperienced  tender- 
feet.  The  great  bubble  collapsed,  it  is  true,  but  did  not 
burst  and  may  again  be  inflated.  Considerable  work  is  now 
being  done  on  the  property,  and  its  production  may  yet 
prove    a   tangible  quantity  in   the    mineral  wealth    of  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  575 

northern  Hills.  Then  there  is  the  Ragged  Top  district, 
whose  siliceous  gold  ores  will  soon  be  carried  to  the  doors 
of  the  city  over  the  steel  rails  of  the  Burlington  Railway  for 
reduction.  These,  with  the  extensive  quarries  of  marble, 
limestone,  gypsum,  etc.,  in  the  surrounding  hills,  and  last, 
but  not  least,  its  proximity  and  accessibility  to  the  extensive 
coal  fields  of  Hay  creek,  give  Spearfish  no  insignificant 
portion  of  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  Black  Hills.  Albeit, 
those  who  expect  to  see  in  the  Queen  City  a  booming  town 
like  Deadwood  and  Lead  will  be  greatly  disappointed,  for 
instead  they  will  find  a  sober,  serious  community  pursuing 
the  even  tenor  of  its  way,  in  an  unostentatious,  yet 
thoroughly  business-like  manner. 


576  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

GALENA  SILVER  CAMP. 

In  a  deep  gulch,  surrounded  on  nil  sides  by  lofty  pine- 
covered  hills,  about  six  miles  in  an  air  line  southeast  of 
Deadwood,  on  Bear  Butte  creek,  is  situated  Galena,  the 
center  of  the  chief  silver  mining  industry  of  the  Black  Hills. 

Early  in  March,  1876,  a  number  of  prospectors  in  search 
of  gold,  penetrated  the  region  along  that  stream  and  dis- 
covered the  silver  mines,  which  have  since  made  that  dis- 
trict famous.  Among  the  first  settlers  in  Galena  were 
James  Conzette,  E.  R.  Collins,  David  Dusette,  Wm.  Fer- 
guson, W.  H.  Wood,  David  Galvin,  Arthur  Finnegan,  and 
an  Italian  named  Esperando  Feri.  Among  the  earliest 
mines  discovered  were  the  Florence,  and  Merritt  Nos.  1  and 
2,  by  H.  N.  Merritt  &  Brother;  the  Sitting  Bull,  by  Frank 
Cochrane  ;  the  Emma,  by  James  Conzette;  the  El-Refugio, 
by  W.  H.  Franklin  &  Cook;  other  locations,  both  gold  and 
silver,  soon  following.  While  developing  these  mines,  a 
vein  of  almost  pure  galena  was  exposed  in  the  Florence 
and  Sitting  Bull  ledges — from  which  discovery  the  town 
derives  its  name. 

In  September,  1876,  Robt.  Florman,  the  veteran  miner 
and  prospector,  arrived  in  the  new  silver  camp  and  pur- 
chased the  Florence  mine,  which  he  owned  and  developed 
until  1878,  when  the  property  was  absorbed  by  the 
"  Florence  Mining  Company,"  an  organization  of  St.  Paul 
capitalists,  who  erected  a  ten-stamp  mill  on  the  property 
and  operated  them  until  about  1880,  during  which  time  the 
town  had  grown  into  considerable  prominence.  It  received 
its  first  real  importance,  however,  from  the  subsequent 
silver  mining  operations  of  Col.  J.  H.  Davey,  an  expert  in 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAlvOTAHS.  577 

the  treatment  of  the  white  metal,  who  arrived  in  the  camp  in 
1880.  Mr.  Davey  secured  a  lease  on  the  Florence  mine 
and  mill  which  yielded  such  an  encouraging  profit  that  in 
1881  he  purchased  the  proi)erty,  secured  other  mineral  and 
timber  land,  and  at  once  began  the  work  of  increasing  and 
improving  the  facilities  for  operating  the  same.  lie  built 
an  extensive  and  completely  equipped  smelting  plant, 
which,  it  is  believed,  was  the  first  of  the  kind  creeled  in  the 
Black  Hills,  enlarged  the  capacity  of  the  mill  to  twenty 
stamps,  and  put  the  wheels  of  the  silver  reduction  industry 
in  motion.  After  operating  the  property  successfully 
for  something  less  than  a  year,  a  process  of  injunction 
was  served  on  Mr.  Davey  by  the  Richmond  Mining  Com- 
p  any,  which  had  the  effect  of  closing  down  and  silencing  the 
works  for  many  years.  Long  and  expensive  litigation 
ensued,  the  question  involved  being  the  right  of  the  en- 
joined to  follow  the  trend  or  dip  of  his  ledge  beyond  the 
side  lines  of  his  claim  which  joined  that  of  the  Richmond 
Company  on  the  north. 

For  several  years  the  case  was  exploited  in  the  courts  of 
Deadwood,  from  where  it  was  sent  on  appeal  to  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  Territory  of  Dakota,  where  a  decis- 
ion was  handed  down  in  favor  of  the  enjoiner.  It  was 
then  appealed  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 
where  the  case  was  still  pending,  when  Col.  Davey,  impa- 
tient of  the  law's  delays,  gave  up  the  battle,  disposed  of  his 
property,  and  left  the  Black  Hills  for  a  new  field  of  enter- 
prise in  the  Far  West.  Subsequently  the  case  was  settled 
out  of  court  by  a  compromise  between  Mr.  Davey's  suc- 
cessors and  the  Richmond  Mining  Co. 

Notwithstanding  the  discouraging  conditions  resulting 
from  the  temporary  closing  of  the  silver  industry,  a  faith- 
ful few  stayed  by  the  camp  during  its  period  of  depression, 
ami  the  town  remained  a  tangible  reality  until  it  was  revivi- 
fied by  the  operations  of  the  Union  Hill  Mining  Co.  in 
1897.  On  the  22d  of  March  of  that  year,  the  Union 
Hill   Mining   Company,  a  New  Jersey    corporation,   filed 

37 


578  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

articles  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  the  State  of  South 
Dakota  with  Francis  C.  Grable  of  Omaha,  Neb.,  Herbert 
F.  Hatch  of  East  Orange,  N.  J.,  and  Jacol)  Sterner  of 
Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  as  incorporators. 

Included  in  this  company's  properties  were  the  Florence 
mine,  stamp  mill  and  smelting  plant,  the  Richmond,  Sitting 
Bull,  Emma,  Alexander,  Union  Hill,  Hoodoo,  Gold  Bug, 
and  the  Calumett  and  Colletta  groups  of  mines.  Under 
the  management,  or  perhaps  it  would  better  be  said,  mis- 
management of  Francis  C.  Grable,  extensive  preparations, 
involving  large  expenditures,  were  at  once  begun,  to  operate 
the  company's  properties  on  a  gigantic  scale.  The  mill 
and  smelting  plant  were  overhauled  and  put  in  complete 
repair,  sumptuous  officers'  quarters  were  provided;  assay 
and  chemical  rooms,  and  a  mammoth  building  for  a  200- 
stamp  mill  —  in  which,  however,  the  machinery  was  never 
installed — was  built,  but,  at  the  expiration  of  about  one 
year  of  "  pernicious  activity,"  the  further  progress  of  the 
promising  enterprise,  like  a  thunder-clap  from  a  cloudless 
sky,  was  suddenly  arrested,  —  the  manager  had  ventured 
beyond  his  depth,  and  was  lost  amid  the  breakers. 

Despite  this  failure,  the  future  prospects  of  the  camp 
are  exceedingly  promising.  It  has  been  satisfactorily  dem- 
onstrated that  there  are  numerous  very  valuable  silver  as 
well  as  gold  mines  in  the  district,  which,  with  judicious 
management,  will  develop  into  extensive,  paying  proper- 
ties. A  few  miles  farther  up,  on  the  headwaters  of  Bear 
Butte  creek,  there  were  also  discovered  valuable  gold  and 
silver  mines  at  an  early  date.  Notably  the  Oro  Fino  gold 
mine  in  Strawberry  gulch.  The  Oro  Fino  Mining  Com- 
pany operated  a  twenty-stamp  mill  on  the  mine  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  but  the  ore  body,  though  rich,  was  not 
altogether  free  milling,  for  which  reason  it  proved  unprofit- 
able. With  the  proper  method  of  treatment  this,  with 
other  locations  in  the  vicinity,  will  doubtless  become  paying 
properties. 


LAST    HUNTING    GKOUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAH8.  579 

TERRY. 

Lying  almost  directly  under  the  shadow  of  the  lofty  peak 
from  which  it  derives  its  name,  about  nine  geographical 
miles  southwest  of  Deadwood,  is  Terr}',  the  minino-  center 
of  the  great  siliceous  ore  district  of  the  northern  Hills. 
In  view  of  the  difficulty  found  in  ascertaining  just  when 
the  town  was  laid  out  and  platted,  the  conclusion  is 
reached  that  perhaps  Terry,  like  "  Topsy,"  "never  was 
horned,  but  just  growed."  At  a  venture,  however,  it  may 
be  said  that  it  probably  drew  its  first  embryotic  breath  as  a 
town  back  in  the  late  80's,  about,  or  perchance  a  little  after, 
the  time  when  Prof.  Carpenter  of  Deadwood,  and  other 
expert  chemists  and  mineralogists,  were,  metaphorically 
speaking,  lying  awake  o'  nights,  puzzling  their  brains  in 
trying  to  discover  some  occult  process  by  which  to  clas- 
sify and  separate  the  new  character  of  ore  that  had  been 
encountered  in  the  region  of  the  Bald  Mountain.  At  any 
rate  the  town  exists,  and  owes  its  present  importance,  to 
the  final  successful  treatment  of  the  rebellious  ore  product 
of  that  now  famous  district. 

Prior  to  this  time  there  had  existed  small  temporary 
raining  camps  on  "  Squaw  creek"  and  "  Nevada"  gulches, 
but  as  soon  as  the  district  proved  to  be  a  productive  field, 
the  rush  of  prospectors,  miners,  and  speculators  made  the 
demand  for  a  general  center  a  necessity,  and  the  site  at 
the  northeastern  base  of  Terry's  peak  was  selected  for  such 
center  but,  whether  by  design  or  mere  tacit  consent,  or 
whether  laid  out  and  the  lots  sold  by  an  organized  com- 
pany, or  whether  taken  under  a  "  squatter's"  rights,  re- 
mains unfortunately  a  matter  for  speculation.  Howbeit, 
no  more  desirable  spot  could  have  been  found  within  the 
limits  of  the  refractory  ore  belt. 

By  reason  of  its  advantageous  situation,  in  the  heart  of 
a  rich  mining  district,  enhanced  by  the  progressive  spirit 
of  the  community,  the    town    has    forged    rapidly   to   the 


580 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


front,  and  is  to-day  no  insignificant  power  in  the  business 
as  well  as  political  economy  of  the  northern  Hills.      It  has 


f         IB 

1 

1 

B 

^^^h 

wH 

^^Hn^^l^B-  ~  f^^S^^^^^^^^^^ 

^'^WSS' 

IB^ 

W^^^^U 

^*^ 

^  ^^^^^^^^H 

^3u 

rAaar^ 

k^Jl^^^^^^l^l 

^^^H 

.^jUMM 

^wWh^'tB^H 

■ 

schools,  religious  societies,  newspapers,  and  secret  organiza- 
tions salore. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  581 

In  July,  1891,  school  district  No.  76, of  Lawrence  County, 
was  organized,  with  M.  A.  Wilcox  as  president,  Joseph 
Congdon,  clork,  and  Geo.  M.  Glover,  treasurer.  The  first 
school  was  taught  in  a  small  log  cabin  in  Nevada  gulch,  by 
Miss  Atlanta  Fuller  of  Lead,  with  an  attendance  of  ten 
pupils. 

Subsequently  a  small  school  building,  consisting  of  one 
room,  twenty-four  by  forty  feet,  was  erected  at  Terry, 
which,  to  accommodate  the  increased  attendance  of  pupils, 
was  soon  enlarged  by  an  addition  of  equal  dimensions,  and 
in  1897  a  second  addition  of  a  room,  twenty-eight  by 
thirty  feet,  was  made,  at  a  cost  of  $1,000.00.  The  school 
is  now  composed  of  three  departments,  under  the  efficient 
priucipalship  of  L.  P.  McCain,  with  an  aggregate  attend- 
ance   of  217  pupils. 

Terry  has  three  religious  organizations,  the  Methodist, 
Congregational,  and  Catholic,  the  latter  being  the  only  one 
having,  as  yet,  a  church  edifice  erected. 

Terry,  being  essentially  a  raining  community,  at  an  early 
date  in  its  history,  August,  1891,  organized  a  Miners' 
Union  society  which  has  since  increased  to  650  members, 
more  than  three-fifths  of  its  entire  population. 

The  secret  societies  are  :  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  organized  December  24th,  1894,  now  number- 
ing 110  members  :  the  "  Home  Forum,"  organized  October 
1st,  1897,  fifty-four  members;  "  Knights  of  Pythias," 
organized  June  8th,  1898,  sixty-five  members;  "Odd 
Fellows,"  organized  November  10th,  1898,  forty  members  ; 
"Woodmen  of  the  World,"  organized  October,  1898, 
twenty  members. 

The  fire  department,  consisting  of  Terry  Hose  Company 
No.  1,  was  organized  November  14th,  1898,  and  doubtless 
the  department  makes  up  in  efficiency  what  it  lacks  in  its 
number  of  companies. 

Terry  can  also  boast  of  two  newspapers,  the  Bald  Moun- 
tain News  and  the  Terry  Record,  both  weekly  publications. 


582  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

The  Bald  Mountain  JSfeivs  was  established  on  March  2(1, 
1895,  by  John  H.  Skinner,  who  conducted  the  Enterjjrise 
until  August,  1898,  when  it  was  purchased  by  I.  R.  Crow, 
its  present  editor  and  proprietor.  The  Terry  Record  was 
established  on  June  5th,  189o,  and  is  now  published  by 
Messrs.  Wilcox  and  Monkman.  The  fact  that  each  of  these 
newspapers  has  a  bona  fide  circulation  of  500  copies, 
evidences  the  estimation  in  which  the  publications  are  held 
by  the  reading  and  news-loving  community  of  Terry.  The 
professions  are  represented  by  two  lawyers  and  two  doctors. 
The  business  houses  of  Terry  consist  of  one  store  of 
general  merchandise,  one  exclusive  grocery  store,  one 
hardware,  two  drug,  one  clothing,  one  jewelry,  two  confec- 
tion and  stationery  stores,  two  bakeries,  three  barber  shops, 
two  blacksmith's  shops,  two  livery  barns,  one  meat  market, 
five  hotels,  three  restaurants  and  four  saloons.  Population, 
1,000. 

THE  BALD  MOUNTAIN  REFRACTORY  ORE  DEPOSIT. 

Not  having  made  a  special  study  of  the  subject,  I  dare 
not  venture  or  [iresume,  of  my  own  knowledge,  to  describe 
the  peculiar  rock  formation  and  characteristics  of  this 
remarkable  deposit  but  geologists  who  know  whereof 
they  speak  would  call  them  "  contact  deposits  "  found  in 
Palaezoic  rock  formation,  the  ore  bodies  occurring  in  long 
"  shoots,"  instead  of  continuous  veins.  These  "  shoots  " 
usually  vary  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet  in  width  and  from  two 
inches  to  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  thickness,  but  in  exceptional 
cases  are  much  wider,  as  in  the  great  Tornado  mine,  whose 
ore  body  is  300  feet  in  width,  extending  from  Nevada  to 
Whitetail  gulches,  and  very  rich.  The  ore  found  through- 
out the  Bald  Mountain  region,  including  Rub}'  Basin, 
Garden  City,  and  Ragged  Top,  is  what  is  termed  by  scien- 
tists, "  refractory  "  —  a  generic  name  applied  to  all  ores, 
not  separable  by  amalgamation  or  the  stamp  mill  process. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  583 

The  history  of  this  wonderful  region  furnishes  a 
splendid  iUustrution  of  the  mystery  of  nature's  processes 
in  mineral  formations,  and  of  how  millions  of  gold  may  lie 
for  years,  practically  worthless,  under  foot,  until  through 
equally  mj^sterious  chemical  agencies,  the  component  parts 
of  the  mass  are  disintegrated. 

The  attention  of  the  ever-searching  prospector  was  first 
turned  to  this  reljellous  ore  district  early  in  1877,  during 
which  year  numerous  locations  were  made  on  Squaw  creek, 
Nevada  and  Fantail  gulches,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
Bald  Mountain,  to  which  locality  the  earliest  discoveries 
were  principally  confined.  Among  the  first  locations  that 
are  now  producing  mines  were  the  Portland,  Empire  State, 
Clinton,  Double  Standard,  Rebecca,  Big  Bonanza,  "  Willie 
Wassel,"  now  the  Tornado,  and  others.  The  Portland  is 
claimed  to  be  the  first  mine  in  the  district  in  which  the 
ore  body,  after  repeated  chemical  tests,  and  stamp-mill 
process,  was  found  to  be  "  refractory." 

At  an  early  date  a  twenty-stamp  mill  was  erected  on  the 
property  by  the  original  locators  by  which  the  ores  of  the 
Portland  and  several  other  mines  in  the  vicinity  were  tested 
and  althouo;h  submitted  to  the  "  roasting;  "  and  "  bleach- 
ing  "  process  before  being  run  through  the  mill,  the  ores 
uniformly  refused  to  yield  their  rich  product  of  gold.  In 
1878  a  thirty-stamp  mill  was  built  on  the  Lackawana  mine, 
now  known  as  the  Snowstorm,  which  also  proved  a  failure. 
As  a  consequence  many  of  the  mines  which  are  to-day  the 
best  gold-producers  in  the  district,  after  absorbing  the  con- 
tents of  many  voluptuous  pocketbooks  in  vain  experiment, 
were  practically  abandoned  by  their  owners  and  Bald 
Mountain  became,  for  a  few  years,  a  by-word  and  a  re- 
proach. 

"  No  paying  mines  will  ever  be  found  in  the  Black  Hills 
outside  the  '  Belt,'  "  was  confidently  asserted  by  many. 
Nothwithstanding,  some  clung  tenaciously  to  their  claims 
with  a  sublime  faith  in  their  intrinsic  worth,  doing  their 
legal   development  work  each  year,    while    others   turned 


584  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

their  backs  forever  upon  the  —  to  them,  novel  formation. 
Science,  however,  applied  by  men,  skilled  in  the  use  of 
chemicals,  and  the  nature  of  the  affinity,  existing  between 
different  metals,  after  long  and  patient  experiment  with  the 
rebellious  stuff  at  last  solved  the  perplexing  problem,  that 
took  away  the  reproach  from  Bald  Mountain.     Eureka  ! 

The  real  value  of  these  ores  was  not  fully  demonstrated 
until  about  1887,  when  renewed  interest  was  awakened  in 
the  district.  Abandoned  mines  were  relocated,  new  ones 
were  discovered,  and  the  boundaries  of  the  limited  territory 
began  to  widen  and  the  mines  to  multiply,  until  to-day 
there  are  more  than  a  hundred  rich  producers  in  the  gulches 
centering  around  Bald  Mountain.  New  probabilities  opened 
up  before  the  eyes  of  the  ever-alert  prospector,  and  sent 
him  poe-t-haste  into  adjacent  fields  in  search  of  the  erst- 
while despised  deposit.  Rub}'  Basin,  "  Garden  City," 
and  finally  the  "Ragged  Top"  district,  all  of  similar 
formation  and  character,  were  added  to  the  siliceous  ore 
territory,  which  now  comprises,  including  the  latter,  an 
area  of  perhaps  twent^'-five  or  thirty  square  miles,  with 
producing  mines  scattered  over  the  entire  area. 

The  major  part  of  the  ores  from  these  districts  are 
treated  at  the  Golden  Rew\ard  Chlorination  plant,  the  Dead- 
wood  and  Delaware  Pyritic  Smelter  and  the  Cyanide  re- 
duction works  at  Dead  wood,  and  the  Kildonan  plant  at 
Pluma,  and  some  are  shipped  to  Omaha,  Denver,  and  Kansas 
City.  The  gold-laden  product  is  transported  from  the 
various  mines  to  these  plants,  over  the  *'  Elkhorn  "  and 
"  Burlington  "  narrow-gauge  railroads,  each  of  which,  from 
opposite  sides,  extends  its  ramifications  through  the 
gulches  to  all  the  productive  mines  in  the  district. 

Among  the  productive  mines  around  Bald  Mountain,  are 
the  following :  — 

The  Portland,  on  Squaw  Creek  between  Deadwood  and 
Nevada  gulches,  located  in  1877  by  a  Mr.  Brown,  but  now 
owned  by  the  Portland  Consolidated  Mining  Co. 

The  Tornado  Mine,  on  Nevada  gulch,  originally  located 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS. 


585 


in  June,  1877,  by  Joseph  L.  Oit  and  Wm.  Richmonil,  and 
first  culled  Willie  Wussel  Lode.  In  1882,  it  was  relocated 
by  Jos.  Orr  and  Andrew  Hanson,  a  Mr.  Schlittengcr  after- 


wards becoming  interested  in  the  property,  when  the  name 
was  changed  from  Willie  Wassel  to  Tornado.  During  the 
same  year  it  was  transferred,  in  whole  or  in  part,  to  James 


586  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Schultz,  when  the  mine  was  incorporated.  Subsequently, 
it  was  sold  to  Martin  Chapman,  Earnest  May  and  Seth 
Bullock,  who  stocked  the  property  and  sold  to  the  Golden 
Reward  Company. 

The  ore  body  of  the  Tornado  mine  is  by  far  the  largest 
in  the  district,  the  deposit  extending  from  Nevada  to  White- 
tail  gulches,  300  feet  in  width  and  from  ten  to  twelve  feet 
in  thickness. 

The  Double  Standard  mine,  now  one  of  a  group,  was 
located  in  1877  by  Thomas  Edwards.  The  "Last  Chance," 
now  known  as  the  Liberty  Lode,  belonging  to  the  Double 
Standard  group,  was  located  in  1877  between  Nevada  and 
Fantail  gulches.  The  Bio;  Bonanza,  situated  on  Fantail 
gulch,  was  located  by  Martin  Chapman,  in  1877.  The  Clin- 
ton on  Nevada  gulch  was  located  by  Ankeny  Brothers  in 
1877.  The  Rebecca,  also  on  Nevada  gulch,  was  located  by 
John  Strobe  and  William  Dirkin  in  1877. 

The  Empire  State  Lode  and  the  Decorah  Lode  on  Green 
Mountain  were  both  located  in  1877  by  Messrs.  John 
Greenough,  HoUoway,  and  McHenry. 

The  Ross  Hannibal,  located  in  1877,  is  now  owned  by 
the  D.  &  D.  Smelting  Co.  The  Buxton,  now  beh:)nging 
to  the  Buxton  group,  situated  between  Nevada  and  Fantail 
gulches,  was  located  in  1878  by  Messrs.  Molliter  and  Mc- 
Allister. The  Welcome,  now  one  of  the  Welcome  group, 
at  the  base  of  Terry's  Peak,  was  located  in  July,  1878,  by 
G.  F.  King  and  Mattiner,  who  bonded  the  property  to 
Cephas  Waite,  who  built  the  chlorination  plant  at  Rapid 
City.  The  property  now  belongs  to  the  Horseshoe  Com- 
pany, and  the  ores  are  treated  at  the  Kildonan  plant  at 
Pluma.  The  Horseshoe  mine,  at  the  base  of  Terry's  Peak, 
belongs  to  Horseshoe  Company. 

The  Harmony  group,  on  south  side  of  Fantail  gulch,  was 
located  in  July,  1879,  by  G.  F.  King  and  Desire  La  Chap- 
elle,  who  also  during  the  same  year  located  the  Rebecca, 
afterwards  incorporated  and  called  the  "  Retreiver." 
The  Bascobell  or  Smiley  Lundt  group,  situated   same  as 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  587 

Retreiver,   was   located   by  Messrs.  Luiult    and    Toney    in 
1879. 

The  Baltimore  and  Richmond,  originally  called  the  Mary- 
land and  Virginia,  on  Nevada  gulch,  was  located  by  Col. 
Mnse  and  J.  J.  Goff  in  1878. 

The  Dark  Horse,  Grant,  and  Lackawana,  the  latter  now 
known  as  the  "  Snowstorm  "  were  located  on  Nevada  gulch 
in  1877  or  1878  by  Messrs.  Collins  and  O'Lcary.  The 
two  first  named  mines  are  now  owned  jointly  by  the  Golden 
Reward  Company  and  the  original  locators,  the  latter  still 
owning  the  Snowstorm.  In  1878,  as  before  stated,  a  thirty- 
stamp  mill  was  built  on  the  Lackawana,  which  proved  a 
failure. 

The  Trojan  Enterprise  group,  between  Deadwood  and 
Nevada  gulches,  was  located  in  1878  by  Messrs.  Greenough 
and  A.  J.  Smith,  but  it  is  now  owned  by  the  Portland  Con- 
solidated Mining  Company. 

The  Apex  group,  on  Nevada  gulch,  was  located  in  1878 
by  Hugh  and  Thos.  McGovern.  The  property,  which  is 
now  in  litigation,  is  owned  by  the  McGovern  heirs. 

The  Leopold  mine,  between  Deadwood  and  Nevada 
gulches,  was  located  in  1890,  and  is  now  owned  by  the 
Golden  Reward  Company. 

The  Golden  Reward  and  Maggie  claims,  on  Fantail 
gulch,  were  originally  located  by  Wm.  Wilson  and  Martin 
Chapman,  but  are  now  owned  and  operated  by  the  Golden 
Reward  Company.  The  Bottleson  group,  located  by  Eli 
Bottleson  in  1890,  and  the  Little  Bonanza,  on  Fantail,  are 
owned  by  the  same  company. 

The  Golden  Smds  mine,  on  Deadwood  gulch,  was  located 
in  1886  by  the  McGovern  brothers,  and  is  now  owned  by 
the  Horseshoe  Company. 

The  Mark  Twain,  on  Nevada  gulch,  was  located  in  1884 
by  Street  Brothers,  and  is  now  owned  by  the  Horseshoe 
Company. 

The  Dividend,  between  Deadwood  and  Nevada  gulches, 
was  leased  from  the  original  locators,  whose  names  are  not 


588  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

known,  by  Messrs.  Greenoii^h,  Mosier,  and  Harris,  but  is 
now  owned  by  S.  M.  Kane,  of  Chicago. 

The  Ben  Hur,  on  Nevada  gulch,  was  located  in  1886  by 
Alex.  Patterson,  but  is  now  owned  by  Messrs.  Faucett  & 
Dalahaut,  Earnest  May,  and  S.  M.  Kane,  of  Chicago. 

The  Gunnison  group,  on  Square  creek,  is  now  owned  by 
Seth  Bullock,  of  Deadwood. 

The  Plutas,  between  Nevada  and  Fantail  gulches,  located 
in  1883,  by  Henry  Lundt  and  Lewis  Toney,  and  sold 
by  them  to  Martin  Chapman  and  Earnest  May  in  1886, 
is  now  the  property  of  the  Golden  Reward  Company. 

The  Hardscrabble  was  located  in  1884  on  Fantnil  gulch 
by  Hugh  Carr  and  Albert  Moliter. 

The  Ryan  Fraction,  on  Nevada  gulch,  was  located  in 
1887  by  Messrs.  Hawgood,  Chambers  &  Workman. 

The  Stuart  Lode,  located  in  1887  by  A.  D    Clark. 

The  \Vm.  Sherman  group,  located  in  1884  by  Joseph 
L.  Orr. 

The  Calumet,  location  not  known,  but  is  a  rich  producer 
and  is  owned  by  the  Deadwood  &  Delaware  Smelting 
Company. 

The  Isadora  group,  located  by  W.  A.  Wilson  in  1884. 

The  Little  Bonanza,  on  Fantail  gulch,  was  located  by 
Chas.  Schrader,  in  1886. 

Besides  those  mentioned  there  may  be  many  other  pro- 
ducing mines  in  the  district  which  have  not  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  writer,  but  those  named  will  show  some- 
thing of  the  extent  and  richness  of  the  refractory  ore  belt 
of  the  northern  Hills.  The  output  from  these  mines,  which 
has  already  been  something  immense,  is  increasing  in  vol- 
ume year  by  year,  and  making  many  of  their  fortunate 
owners  correspondingly  rich.  Not  all  are  fortunate,  how- 
ever, as  diofofino^  for  gold  under  the  most  favorable  condi- 
tions  is  a  good  deal  of  a  lottery. 

The  largest  unproductive  mines  in  the  district  and  perhaps 
in  the  Black  Hills  are  what  are  known  as  the  Snowstorm 
group,  situated    on    Nevada    gulch.     The    property    was 


LAST   HUNTING    GROUND    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS. 


589 


located  by  John  Hawgood  in  1888,  but  is  now  owned  by 
Messrs.  Huwgood  and  Wilcox.  It  has  a  shaft  down  over 
342  feet  in  depth  and  is  traversed  by  2,700  feet  of  tunnel- 


ing which  development  has  cost  the  owners  $100,000 
The  future  output  of  this  group  of  mines  may  soon  be 
wonder  of  the  world. 


00. 
the 


590  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

WHITE  WOOD. 

Whitewood,  one  of  the  youngest  of  the  important  towns 
of  Lawrence  County,  is  handsomel}'  located  on  Whitewood 
creek  near  the  foot-hills,  about  seven  miles  north  of  Sturoris. 
The  original  plat  of  the  town  was  laid  out  on  December 
8th,  1887,  by  the  Pioneer  Town-site  Company  and  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway  Company,  and  owes  its 
origin  to  the  arrival  of  the  F.  E.  &  M.  V.  R.  R.  at  that 
point.  This  extension  of  the  Northwestern  Railway  line 
reached  the  point  where  Whitewood  stands,  in  November, 
1887,  and  remained  the  terminus  until  1890,  during  which 
years  the  town  forged  rapidly  to  the  fore.  In,  May,  1888,  it 
was  incorporated  with  Enos  Lane,  J.  C.  Jones,  and  Patrick 
Cusick,  as  members  of  the  first  Board  of  Trustees. 

In  the  fall  of  1888  two  church  societies  were  organized, 
viz.,  the  Methodist  and  Presbyterian,  both  of  whioh  now 
have  neat  houses  of  public  worship.  During  the  same 
year  School  District  No.  6G  of  Lawrence  County  was  organ- 
ized, J.  C.  Caliban,  Elijah  Fowler,  and  H.  S.  Grant,  consti- 
tuting the  first  school  board.  The  town  has  now  a  com- 
modious two-story  frame  school  building  separated  into 
three  departments,  aflbrding  ample  accommodations  for 
the  children  of  the  town.  The  school  has  a  present  enroll- 
ment (1898)  of  136  pupils,  which  are  divided  into  three 
grades  —  grammar,  intermediate  and  primary,  conducted 
under  the  present  superversion  of  Prof.  Arthur  Reynolds. 

In  1889,  the  first  flouring  mill,  having  a  capacity  of  fifty 
barrels  of  flour  per  day,  was  erected  by  Christopher  Crow, 
and  operated  until  1892,  when  the  plant  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  This  mill  was  supplemented  by  the  erection  of  the 
present  Whitewood  Flouring  Mill,  by  Messrs.  Mitchell  & 
Thompson  in  1894,  which  is  a  forty-five  horse-power  steam 
mill,  having  an  easy  daily  capacity  of  fifty  barrels  of  flour 
per  day.  The  plant  is  equipped  with  the  most  approved 
machinery,  uses  the  full  roller  process,  and  has  the  reputa- 
tion of  manufacturing  flour  of  a  superior  grade. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    TIIK    DAKOTAHS.  591 

The  Whitewood  Water  System  was  constructed  during 
the  year  1890,  by  H.  T.  Cooper,  of  Whitewood,  at  a  cost 
of  $15,000.  The  supply  is  drawn  from  Oak  Grove  SprJDgs, 
situated  one  mile  from  the  limits  of  the  town  and  conducted 
through  pipes  to  two  separate  reservoirs,  located  at  the 
requisite  elevation  above  the  streets,  having  a  capacity  of 
50,000  gallons  each,  whence  it  is  distributed  through  six- 
inch  mains,  provided  with  hydrants  for  fire  purposes,  to 
all  parts  of  the  town. 

The  Whitewood  Fire  Department  is  composed  of  Rescue 
Hose  Company,  No,  1,  which  was  organized  in  September, 
1891,  supplemented  by  a  Juvenile  Hose  Company,  and  is 
officered  as  follows:  H.  T.  Cooper,  Chief;  H.  H.  Broman, 
Foreman  ;  G.  B.  Adams,  Secretary  ;  and  H.  B.  Tremble, 
Treasurer.  The  Whitewood  A.  O.  U.  W.  society  was 
organized  in  May,  1892,  and  has  a  present  membership  of 
eighty-five. 

Whitewood  sustains  a  weekly  newspaper,  the  Whitewood 
Plaind€ale7\  which  was  established  by  DeKay  Brothers 
at  an  early  date  in  the  history  of  the  town,  and  also  a 
flourishing  banking  institution. 

In  addition  to  these  it  has  three  hotels,  two  general  stores, 
two  grocery,  one  hardware,  one  drug,  one  confection- 
ery, and  one  millinery  store,  two  implement  houses,  two 
livery  barns,  two  blacksmith  shops,  and  one  saloon. 

The  other  towns  and  small  settlements  of  Lawrence 
County  are  St.  Ange,  situated  on  False  Bottom  creek,  and 
a  station  on  the  Elkhorn  Railroad,  where  is  settled  a  com- 
munity of  French  Canadians — Englewood,  Dumont,  Nasby, 
Nemo,  Brownsville,  Perry,  Nahant,  and  perhaps  others. 


592  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

OUR  PIONEERS. 

To  those  who  are  fond  of  iulventures,  there  are  perhaps 
no  more  interesting  characters  portrayed  on  the  pages  of 
American  history  than  those  of  our  pioneers,  who  con- 
quered this  great  American  wilderness  from  the  dominion 
of  the  red  men.  Ever  since  the  time,  more  than  four 
centuries  ago,  when  the  great  Venetian  navigator  anchored 
his  small  fleet  off  the  bleak  coast  of  Eistern  Labrador,  and 
planted  the  English  flag  on  its  sterile  soil,  taking  possession 
thereof  in  the  name  of  England's  king,  there  have  been 
pioneers  and  pioneers,  whose  daring  deeds  and  heroic  ex- 
ploits have  been  prolific  theme-j  for  the  pen  of  the  his- 
torian whose  praises  have  been  rung  in  song  and  story,  — 
brave,  adventurous  men,  who  from  various  points  and  at 
different  periods,  resolutely  pushed  their  way  towards  the 
setting  sun,  until  it  may  be  said  that  nearly  every  portion 
of  the  American  Continent,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  golden 
shores  of  the  Pacific,  has  witnessed  the  struggles,  the  hard- 
ships, the  sufferings,  and  been  freely  baptized  in  the  blood 
of  our  pioneers.  The  last,  but  b}^  no  means  the  least,  on 
the  long  list  are  our  own  Black  Hills  pioneers,  than  whom, 
in  all  that  pertains  to  undaunted  courage,  no  truer  heroes 
have  appeared  on  the  pages  of  our  history. 

In  this  connection  the  question  :  "  Who  are  our  pio- 
neers?" seems  pertinent,  as  there  are  several  grades  of 
Black  Hills  pioneers. 

When,  in  1874,  the  little  band  of  twenty-six  men  shoul- 
dered their  guns  and  marched  away  over  the  unknown, 
trackless  plains  through  the  entire  length  of  the  hostile 
Sioux  domain  into  the  wilderness,  and  planted  the  banner 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  593 

of  civilization  iimid  the  mountain  fastnesses  of  the  Black 
Hills  and  erected  their  comfortless  homes  under  the  shadow 
of  their  loftiest  peak  in  the  depth  of  winter,  they  were 
pioneers.  When,  in  1875,  the  Black  Hills  having  lapsed 
for  a  brief  time  into  their  original  solitude,  other  brave 
spirits  blazed  their  way  over  new  routes  into  the  wilder- 
ness in  the  teeth  of  the  most  active  military  opposition,, 
and  built  the  first  town  in  the  Black  Hills,  they  were  pio-^ 
neers.  When,  in  1876,  heroic  hundreds  hewed  their  way- 
through  the  most  bloodthirsty  and  warlike  of  the  Indian, 
tribes,  built  towns,  established  newspapers,  schools,  stage 
lines,  banking  institutions,  telegraph  lines,  mined  gold- 
dust  by  the  millions,  discovered  quartz  ledges,  imported 
raining  machinery,  etc.,  etc.,  they  were  pioneers.  And 
moreover,  when  in  1877  hundreds  of  others  ran  the  gaunt- 
let of  as  villainous  a  lot  of  desperadoes  and  highway  rob- 
bers as  ever  infested  a  new  mining  country,  and  helped  to 
chisel  out  and  lay  the  first  blocks  of  our  present  grand 
superstructure  on  the  foundation  already  built;  who  put 
their  shoulders  to  the  wheel  of  progress,  by  riskino-  the  in- 
vestment of  large  capital,  at  a  time  when  business  enter- 
prises were  yet  but  an  experiment ;  who  helped  to  evolve 
order  out  of  chaos,  in  the  doing  of  which  they  reposed  not 
at  all  times  on  beds  of  roses,  were  they  not  also  pioneers? 
Who  shall  draw  the  line? 

THE    SOCIETY    OF    BLACK    HILLS    PIONEERS. 

At  a  meeting  of  Black  Hills  pioneers  held  at  Deadvvood 
on  January  8th,  1889,  in  pursuance  of  a  call  of  a  previous 
preliminary  meeting,  the  permanent  organization  of  The 
Society  of  Black  Hills  Pioneers  was  effected  by  the  adop- 
tion of  a  constitution  and  by-laws,  and  the  election  of  the 
following  officers:  — 

President:  Thomas  H.  Russell,  Deadwood  ;  Vice-Presi- 
dents :  Jack  Gray,  Terraville;  R.  B.  Hughes,  Rapid  ;  8am'l 
Shankland,   Custer;   E.   G.   Dudley,  Hot  Springs;   Frank 

38 


594  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

Thulen,  Minnesela;  Jas.  Ryan,  Sundance;  Secretary:  L, 
F.  Whitbeck,  Deadwood ;  Treasurer:  John  R.  Brennan, 
Rapid  ;  Marshal :  A.  R.  Z.  Dawson,  Deadwood  ;  Directors  : 
C.  V.  Gardner,  Sprina:  Valley;  John  Belding,  Deadwood; 
Noah  Newbanks,  Whitewood;  George  W.  Cole,  Sturgis  ; 
S.  M.  Booth,  Custer;  Historian  ad  interim,  C.  V.  Gardner, 
Spring  Valley. 

The  aims  and  objects  of  the  association  are  clearly  set 
forth  in  article  first  of  its  constitution,  which  says  :  — 

"This  association  shall  be  called  and  known  as  'The 
Society  of  Black  Hills  Pioneers.'  It  is  designed  to  be, 
and  is,  a  moral,  benevolent,  and  literary  association,  and 
its  objects  are:  To  cultivate  social  intercourse,  form  a 
more  perfect  union  among  its  members,  and  create  a  fund 
for  charitable  purposes  in  their  behalf;  to  collect  and  pre- 
serve information,  connected  with  the  early  settlement  of 
the  country,  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  those  whose 
sagacity,  energy,  and  enterprise  induced  them  to  settle 
in  the  wilderness,  and  become  the  founders  of  a  new 
State." 

By  the  rules  governing  the  organization,  only  those  who 
came  to  the  Black  Hills  prior  to  the  31st  of  December, 
187G,  are  admitted  to  membership.  At  the  first  annual 
meeting  of  the  society  held  at  Deadwood  on  October  9th, 
1889,  the  names  of  153  members  had  been  enrolled,  which 
number  gradually  increased  until  1891,  when  there  were 
220  names  on  the  roster  of  the  society.  From  that  time 
the  membership  fluctuated,  some  leaving  the  country, 
when  in  due  time  their  names  were  stricken  from  the  roll; 
other  places  were  left  vacant  by  death.  At  the  last  annual 
roll-call  the  secretary  reported  213  members  in  good  stand- 
ing on  the  roll,  five  of  whom  were  honorary  members. 

At  each  annual  roll-call  on  the  8th  of  January,  the  date 
fixed  by  the  Board  of  Directors  for  the  yearly  banquet 
and  election  of  oflicers,  some,  whose  lips  are  forever  silent, 
fail  to  respond  to  the  call,  some  seventy  members  having 
joined    the    silent  majority   since    its  first  organization  in 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  595 

1889.     Appended  is  the  death  list,  as  shown  b}'^  the  records 
of  the  society  :  — 

1889,  August  12th,  E.  McVey. 

1890,  May  5th,  E.  Rainwater. 
1890,  June  25th,  8.  M.  Booth. 
1890,  June  25th,  W.  H.  Collins. 

1890,  November  25th,  John  A.  Swift. 

1891,  February  19th,  Hugh  McGovern. 
1891,  February  19th,  Phil.  McGuire. 
1891,  April  1st,  F.  M.  Allen. 

1891,  April  3d,  Chas.  Diimphy. 

1891,  April  8th,  C.  H.  Moulton. 

1891, ,  Henry  Benns. 

1892, ,  Singleton  Kimmel. 

1892, ,  T.  Hopkins. 

1892,  March  31st,  C.  F.  Thompson. 

1892,  May  24th,  Jas.  Carney. 

1893,  March  16th,  J.  A.  Gaston. 
1893,  June  2d,  R.  McLaren. 

1893,  June  8th,  Chas.  . 

1893,  October  15th,  Wra.  F.  Steele. 

1893, ,  Geo.  Hacker. 

1893, ,  H.  J.  Fuller. 

1893,  October  16th,  Peter  Hann. 

1894,  January  2d,  Nicholas  Sands. 
1894,  January  2d,  David  Wolzmuth. 
1894,  March  9th,  Peter  O'Neill. 
1894,  March  24th,  Ed.  Farnum. 
1894,  July  3d,  Wm.  Howard. 

1894,  December  12th,  Peter  Koppleton. 

1895,  January  12th,  D.  L.  Mitchell. 
1895,  March   10th,  Andrew  Farrell. 
1895,  September  6th,  P.  S.  Tetrault. 
1895,  November  — ,  Wm.  B.  Franklin. 
1895,  December  — ,  John  Stannus. 
1895, ,  W.  L.  Dunn. 

1895, ,  John  Haltner. 


596  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

1896,  Jiinuaiy  22d,  li.  A.  Bailey. 

1896,  February  15th,  J.   Scott. 

1896,  April   15th,  E.  J.  Crawford. 

1896,  July  19th,  A.  R.  Z.  Dawson. 

1896,  August  7th,  Mrs.  John  Manning  (Honorary 

member). 
1896,  September  29th,  W.  Foglesong. 
1896,  October  18th,  Luke  McDon. 
1896,  November  10th,  Ed.  Murphy. 
1896, ,  J.  B.  Cheney. 

1896,  November  17th,  B.  C.  Wood. 

1897,  April  1st,  J.  H.  Flynn. 
1897,  April  19th,  Jas.  Culp. 
1897,  May  5th,  Pat.  Casey. 
1897,  June  13th,  Desire  LaBesch. 
1897,  November  19th,  VV.  M.  Flanegan. 

1897,  November  21st,  Jas.  Rossiter. 

1898,  August  11th,  John  Wiek. 
1898,  August  24th,  Le  R.  Graves. 
1898,  September  9th,  Thos.  Bentley. 
1898,  January  29th,  John  Theins. 

1898, ,    Mrs.     John      Gray     (Honorary 

member). 

This  list  tells  us  that  the  ranks  of  the  earl}'  pioneers  are 
becoming  rapidly  depleted  ;  the  links  which  bind  them 
together  by  ties  of  common  hardships,  are  being  severed 
and  removed  one  by  one,  and  before  very  long,  the  last 
burnished  link  of  the  golden  chain  will  be  rudely  broken. 

From  the  annual  report  of  the  secretary  for  the  year 
1898,  it  appears  that,  during  that  year,  there  were  $360.26 
disbursed  from  the  funds  of  the  society,  for  various  pur- 
poses, the  expenditures  being  for  the  most  part  for  the 
care  of  the  sick,  and  the  funeral  expenses  of  members, 
which  bespeaks  the  benefits  of  the  organization. 

The  annual  banquets  of  the  society  which  are  given  at 
Deadwood  on  the  8th  of  January  of  each  year,  when,  under 
the  influence  of  the  good  cheer,  members  become  delight- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  597 

fully  remiaiscent,  as  also  the  yearly  picnics,  held  on  the  8th 
of  June,  alternately  at  different  points  throughout  the  Hills, 
are  both  pronounced  exceedingly  enjoyable  affairs. 

In  1890  Thos.  H.  Russell  was  succeeded  in  the  presi- 
dency of  the  society  by  Seth  Bullock,  who  was  elected  for 
two  consecutive  years,  with  J.  H.  Flynn  as  secretary  and 
J.  A.  Gaston  as  treasurer  for  both  years.  A.  R.  Z.  Daw- 
son presided  from  1892  to  1894;  Jas.  W.  Allen,  of  Dead- 
wood,  from  1894  to  1896;  John  Gray,  of  Terraville,  from 
1896  to  1898;  J.  H.  Flynn  and  D.  W.  Gillette  occupying 
the  respective  positions  of  secretary  and  treasurer  for  the 
six  consecutive  years.  In  1898  P.  A.  Gushurst,  of  Lead, 
was  elected  president;  Paul  Rewman,  secretary,  and  D.  M. 
Gillette,  treasurer.  In  1899  Geo.  V.  Ayers,  of  Deadwood, 
the  present  incumbent  of  the  chair,  was  elected,  with  Paul 
Rewman,  secretary,  and  D.  M.  Gillette,  treasurer.  These 
officers,  who  are  representative  pioneers  of  1874-5-6  stand 
for  the  rank  and  file  of  the  members  of  the  "  Society  of 
Black  Hills  Pioneers." 

In  explanation  it  may  be  proper  to  state  that  the  first 
three  presidents  of  the  "  Society  of  Black  Hills  Pioneers  " 
have  been  omitted  from  the  accompanying  group,  for  a 
reason  which  will  be  easily  made  apparent.  When  it  was 
found  that  in  making  cut  for  the  group  the  originals  would 
have  to  be  more  or  less  mutilated,  one  of  the  number  had 
to  be  left  out,  because  my  word  of  honor  had  been  given  to 
return  the  same  intact  to  the  owner.  Thus  having  to  omit 
one,  it  was  deemed  best  to  omit  the  three,  whose  portraits 
and  sketches  appear  elsewhere  on  the  pages  of  this  work, 
in  another  connection. 

Jas.  W.  Allen,  fourth  president  of  the  association,  came 
to  the  Black  Hills  during  the  latter  part  of  December, 
1875,  too  late  to  meet  with  opposition  from  Uncle  Sam's 
blue  coats,  and  too  early  to  encounter  the  hostile  Sioux 
along  the  line  shortly  before  they  entered  upon  the  sensa- 
tional stage  of  mining  development.  Mr.  Allen,  although 
born  and  reared,  to  almost  the  verge  of  young  manhood, 


598  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

in  the  staid  old  Keystone  8tate,  was  by  no  means  a 
stranger  to  the  hap-go-hazard  phases  of  frontier  life, 
having  spent  years  before  coming  to  the  Hills  in  each  of 
the  now  great  Western  Territories  and  States  of  Idaho, 
Montana,  Colorado,  and  Wyoming,  while  they  were  yet 
very  young,  and  may  therefore  be  accounted  a  typical 
pioneer.  Upon  his  arrival  in  the  Black  Hills,  he  first  went 
to  Spring  creek,  in  the  vicinity  of  "  Stand-off  Bar,"  where 
he  remained  but  a  short  time,  going  from  there  to  Rapid 
Valley,  about  the  time  the  Gate  City  was  laid  out  and 
platted.  For  some  reason  he  was  not  at  all  enthusiastic 
over  the  future  prospects  of  the  Denver  of  the  Black  Hills, 
for,  although  corner  lots  were  to  be  had  at  a  bargain,  he 
emphatically  refnsed  to  take  a  dollar's  worth  of  stock  in 
the  enterprise.  He  subsequently  went  to  Deadwood,  of 
which  he  became  a  permanent  resident  in  1877,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  intimately  identified  with  the  business 
interests  of  his  adopted  city,  in  whose  future  greatness,  as 
well  as  the  entire  Black  Hills,  he  has  the  most  implicit  and 
abiding  faith.  Mr.  Allen  was  one  of  the  charter  members 
of  the  Society  of  Black  Hills  Pioneers,  and  has,  since  its 
organization,  been  a  faithful  and  interested  worker  in  its 
ranks.  The  Black  Hills  has  dealt  generously  and  kindly 
with  James  W.  Allen,  both  from  a  financial  and  physical 
stand-point  —  especially  the  latter,  as  a  glance  at  the 
accompanying  cut  will  attest. 


John  Gray,  fifth  on  the  roster  of  presidents  of  the 
Society  of  Black  Hills  Pioneers,  emigrated  to  America 
from  the  north  of  England  —  the  land  of  his  nativity,  when 
a  young  man  in  his  early  twenties.  Upon  landing  on  the 
shores  of  the  "  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave," 
he  turned  his  steps  towards  the  setting  sun;  sojourning  for 
one  year  in  one  of  the  States  of  the  Middle  West  (Ohio), 
when  he  followed  the  Star  of  Empire  westward  to  Wyoming, 
where  he  remained  until  1873.      He  then  decided  to  try  his 


1.    GKOUGE    AYKRS.  2.    JAMES    \V.    ALLEN.  3.    JOHN    GRAY. 

4.    P.    A.    GUbHURST.  5.    PAUL    REWMAN. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  599 

fortune  in  South  America,  and  journeyed  thither,  but, 
after  spending  a  year  among  the  pampas  and  siivas,  the 
boa-constrictors  and  anacondas  of  that  tropical,  volcanic 
region,  he  returned  to  Carbon,  Wyoming,  in  1874,  when 
the  Black  Hills  first  began  to  attract  public  attention. 
In  1876  he  came  to  the  Black  Hills  from  Cheyenne, 
Wyoming,  with  a  large  party  of  gold  seeking  adven- 
turers —  among  whom  was  Wild  Bill,  who  had  out- 
fitted at  that  point.  Although  Indians  galore  were 
seen  along  the  route,  the  train  was  not  molested,  the  In- 
dians, doubtless,  being  afraid  to  encounter  so  large  an 
aggregation  of  well-armed  white  men,  as  well  they  might 
be,  if  there  were  many  of  the  Wild  Bill  stamp  in  the  out- 
fit. Mr.  Gray  went  directly  to  the  northern  Hills,  where 
he  has  since  been  extensively  engaged  in  mining  operations 
on  or  near  the  great  northern  "  gold  belt,"  making  Terra- 
ville  his  base  of  operations.  Mr.  Gray  has  also  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Society  of  Black  Hills  Pioneers  since  its  first 
orjjanization,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  its  most  efiBcient 
members. 

Next,  and  sixth  on  the  list  of  presidents  of  the  Society 
of  Black  Hills  Pioneers,  is  P.  A.  Gushurst,  a  son  of  the 
great  Empire  State,  who  Avas  born  in  Rochester,  on  the 
banks  of  the  famous  Genesee,  whose  valley  became  cele- 
brated for  the  production  of  the  best  wheat  in  the  wide 
world.  By  the  way,  the  writer  of  this  sketch  was  born 
and  bred  within  twenty-five  miles  of  that  great  flour  man- 
ufacturing city,  and  it  is  now  recalled  with  a  thrill  of 
amusement  that,  more  than  once  did  she,  with  a  gay  bevy 
of  equally  crude  and  unsophisticated  village  maidens,  take 
a  trip  down  through  the  locks  of  the  Genesee  Valley  Canal, 
on  a  towboat,  to  the  metropolis  and  trade  center  of  Monroe 
County,  to  see  the  Falls,  and  the  "  Elephant,"  before  the 
advent  of  a  railroad  in  that  region  —  but  this  is  a  digression 
and  difficult  though  it  is,  I  must  refrain  from  indulging 
farther  in  impertinent  personal  reminiscences. 


600  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

With  a  good  deal  of  daring  and  enterprise  for  one  so 
young,  and  doubtless  filled  with  boyish  dreams,  P.  A.  Gus- 
hurst,  when  a  lad  of  only  sixteen,  left  his  native  city  to 
seek  his  fortune  amid  the  then  unmeasured  possibilities  of 
the  "  Great  West."  The  young  adventurer  stopped  first 
at  Omaha,  then  a  border  town,  and  the  chief  supply  depot, 
for  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  to  the  West,  at  a  time 
when  prairie  chickens  and  quails  were  plentiful  thereabouts 
and  deer  and  antelope  were  yet  to  be  seen  among  the 
adjacent  timbered  bluffs,  where,  having  secured  lucrative 
employment,  he  remained  six  years:  one  year  in  a  grocery 
store,  one  year  as  time-keeper  and  four  years  in  the 
machine  shops  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway. 

On  May  1st,  1876,  he  left  Omaha,  and  came  via  Chey- 
enne and  Fort  Laramie  over  the  dangerous  trail  to  the 
Black  Hills,  arriving  at  Custer,  on  May  24th,  and  Dead- 
wood,  June  1st,  1876,  since  which  time  he  has  been  an  ex- 
ceedingly and  uncommonly  active  business  man.  He  first 
started  business  in  Deadwood  iu  a  tent,  then  purchased  the 
lot  on  Main  street,  now  occupied  by  J.  Goldberg's  store, 
and  built  the  frame  store  building  known  as  the  Big  Horn 
Store.  In  August  of  the  same  year  he  moved  to  Lead 
where  he  has  lived  and  carried  on  business  since,  during 
which  time  he  has  occupied  numerous  positions  of  honor 
and  trust. 

He  was  elected  Recorder  of  the  Gold  Run  Gulch,  suc- 
ceeding Thos.  Carey,  the  discoverer  of  placer  gold  on  that 
stream  ;  was  elected  one  of  the  three  trustees  of  Lead,  at 
the  first  Citizens'  Meeting  held  in  1877;  was  elected 
School  Treasurer,  and  served  six  years  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education;  was  a  member  of  the  first  Council  of 
the  Municipality  of  Lead,  and  was  elected  as  its  Mayor  in 
1898.  For  many  years  Mr.  Gushurst  has  been  a  director 
in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Deadwood,  also  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Lead.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Lead 
Town-site  Company  in  the  litigation  with  the  Homestake 
Mining  Company  on  the  question  affecting  the  validity  of 


2  ?; 


3  i: 


x; 


55  "• 

o  o 

O  - 

ic  Si! 
::  a: 

D  3 


5  z 


M  5^ 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS. 


(501 


the  title  of  the  city  to  the  surface  of  the  ground  which  it 
covers,  and  after  its  amicable  settlement  was  appointed 
with  Earnest  May  and  Cyrus  H.  Enos,  trustees  to  deed 
the  property  to  the  citizens. 

Besides  his  extensive  mercantile  business,  Mr.  Gushurst 
has  been,  and  is,  largely  engaged  in  mining  enterprises  and 
was  at  one  time  an  owner  in  the  Little  Bonanza,  the  now 
famous  Tornado,  and  other  mining  properties  in  the  great 
refractory  ore  "  gold  belt."  Later,  with  John  Wolzmuth, 
he  purchased  the  Squaw  creek  mining  claims  and  was  the 
first  to  ship  ore  from  that  section  of  the  country  for  treat- 
ment. In  his  business  and  mining  ventures  Mr.  Gushurst 
has  been  eminently  successful,  and  deservedly  so,  having 
by  industry,  perseverance,  and  sagacity,  acquired  a  hand- 
some fortune. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  marriage  of  P.  A. 
Gushurst  to  Miss  Josephine  Ackey,  in  1877,  was  the  first 
marriage  solemnized  in  Lead. 

The  picture  accompanying  this  sketch  is  a  reproduction 
of  a  portion  of  the  old  store  building  in  which  Mr.  Gushurst 
opened  business  in  Lead  in  1877,  and  a  group  of  early 
pioneers.  The  venerable  landmark  is  being  torn  down  by 
its  proprietor,  to  make  room  for  a  large  brick  and  stone 
block,  which  is  to  cover  an  area  of  50x95  feet. 

During  the  winter  of  1876-7  Mr.  Gushurst  cut  the  trees 
<nnd  macfe  the  shingles  for  the  roof  of  the  old  structure, 
many  of  which,  after  having  been  exposed  to  the  elements 
for  twenty-two  winters  and  summers,  were  found  to  be  in 
a  good  state  of  preservation,  some  of  them  being  carried 
away  by  the  citizens  to  be  preserved  as  relics. 

The  group,  for  the  major  part,  is  composed  of  pioneers 
of  1876,  among  whom  will  readily  be  recognized  P.  A. 
Gushurst,  standing  in  the  center  at  the  left  of  the  upright 
post,  holding  in  his  right  hand  something  that  looks  won- 
derfully like  a  glass  of  the  foaming  beverage,  while  leaning 
against  the  same  post  on  the  right,  without  any  of  the 
bevera<re,  is  Emil  Faust.     The  second  tigure  to  the  left  of 


602 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


Mr.  Faust  and  to  the  right  of  the  picture,  holding  his  hat 
in  his  left  hand,  is  recognized  as  Jack  Daly;  next,  holding 
a  bottle  in  his  left  hand,  is  George  Beeraer  ;  next  comes 
Frank  Abt,  also  holding  a  bottle  of  the  beverage,  and  at 
his  left  is  Earnest  May  with  a  glass  of  the  frothy  fluid  in 
his  left  hand.  The  lady  in  the  group  is  Miss  Maude  Faust, 
and  an  honorary  member  of  the  "  Society  of  Black  Hills 
Pioneers."  The  other  figures  composing  the  group  will 
doubtless  be  easily  recognized  l)y  all  of  the  early  pioneers 
as  well  as  by  many  who  are  not  pioneers. 


George  Vincent  Ayres,  seventh  president  of  the  Society 
of  Black  Hills'  Pioneers,  was  born  among  the  rugged  hills 
of  the  old  Keystone  State,  on  November  1st,  1852,  and 
when  a  boy  of  five  years,  was  taken  by  his  parents  to 
Illinois,  from  whence  they  moved  to  Missouri  in  1858,  and 
thence  to  Kansas  in  1859.  In  1860,  they  removed  to 
Nebraska,  locating  on  a  farm  about  sixteen  miles  from 
Beatrice,  where  they  remained  until  1866  when  they  moved 
into  the  town  of  Beatrice  to  give  their  family  of  growing 
children  the  benefit  of  a  school,  where  George  received  the 
first  rudiments  of  education. 

In  1870  George  Vincent,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  first 
asserted  his  individuality  and  became  a  factor  in  the  busi- 
ness world,  by  entering  a  drug  store  at  Beatrice,  where  he 
remained  six  years  and  became  an  ade[)t  pharmacist. 
Early  in  1876,  when  the  Black  Hills  gold  excitement  was 
prevalent  throughout  the  land,  he  caught  the  infection, 
resigned  his  position  in  the  drug  store,  and  on  March  1st, 
1876,  embarked  via  Cheyenne  and  Fort  Laramie  for  the  new 
gold  fields,  arriving  on  the  25th  of  March  at  Custer,  where 
he  remained  until  May,  when  he  went  with  the  tide  to  Dead- 
wood,  where  was  taken  sick  with  the  mountain  fever. 

Upon  his  recovery  in  July  he  returned  to  Custer  where 
he  remained  until  the  fall  of  1877,  when  he  returned  to 
Deadwood.     Although  coming   to  the  Hills  a  tenderfoot, 


LAST    HUNTIxNG    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  603 

he  had  none  of  the  terderfoot  fatuity.  Becoming  readily 
assimilated  with  the  conditions  of  the  new  mining  camp, 
he  at  once  entered  extensively,  into  the  hardware  busi- 
ness, which  is  still  carried  on  under  the  name  of  the 
Ayres  &  Wardman  Hardware  Co.,  of  which  he  is  president 
and  general  manager.  He  has  also  occupied  various  other 
important  positions,  both  civil  and  political,  during  his  resi- 
dence in  the  Hills.  He  was  Receiver  of  Public  Moneys  of 
the  United  States  Land  Office  at  Rapid  City  during  the 
Harrison  administration  ;  has  been  president  of  the  Busi- 
ness Men's  Protective  Association  of  Deadwood;  was  chair- 
man of  the  Lawrence  County  Republican  Central  Commit- 
tee, and  is  now  president  of  the  Society  of  Black  Hills 
Pioneers. 

Mr.  Ayres  has  a  long  and  honorable  record  as  a  member 
of  the  Order  of  Free  Masons,  but  not  having  a  key  to  the 
sublime  mysteries  of  that  ancient  order,  I  am  utterly  un- 
able to  trace  intelligently  the  various  degrees  by  which  he 
has  risen  to  his  present  high  standing  among  the  fraternity. 
I  am  told,  however,  that  he  became  a  Master  Mason  in 
Beatrice  liodge  No.  26,  located  at  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  on 
June  27th,  1874,  and  affiliated  with  Deadwood  Lodge  No. 
7  on  November  27th,  1882;  was  elected  Grand  Master  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  South  Dakota  on  June  12th,  1889. 
He  became  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  in  Livingston  Chapter 
No.  10,  located  at  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  on  July  13th,  1885, 
and  affiliated  with  Dakota  Chapter  No.  3,  located  at  Dead- 
wood,  October  8th,  1880;  became  a  Knights  Templar  and 
Knight  of  Malta  in  Dakota  Commandery  No.  1,  located  at 
Deadwood,  on  February  2d,  1881  ;  received  the  degrees  in 
the  A.  &  A.  S.  R.,  Southern  Jurisdiction  of  the  United 
States,  in  the  Golden  Belt  Lodge  of  Perfection  No.  5, 
April  lltb,  1893.  He  crossed  the  burning  sands  of  the  A. 
A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  in  the  Naja  Temple  located  at  Deadwood, 
April  14th,  1893,  and  was  anointed  High  Priest  in  the 
Grand  Council  of  Anointed  High  Priests  of  South  Dakota  on 
June  11th,  1896, —  all  of  which  is  a  sealed  book  tothe  writer. 


604  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

During  his  term  of  Grand  Master  he  enforced  a  resolu- 
tion  adopted  by  the  Grand  Lodge,  and  drove  the  so-called 
"  Cerneau  Rite"  —  whatever  that  may  be  —  out  of  the 
State,  and  also  founded  the  Grand  Charity  and  Widows' 
and  Orphans'  Funds. 


Paul  Rewman,  now  secretary  of  the  Society  of  Black 
Hills  Pioneers,  was  born  in  England,  of  German  parentage, 
in  1855. 

In  1870,  when  a  boy  of  fifteen,  Paul  left  his  native 
land,  and  crossed  the  billowy  deep  to  New  York,  from 
whence  he  journeyed  to  the  Southwest,  and  engaged  in  the 
stock  business  for  several  years  on  the  great  cattle  ranges 
of  New  Mexico,  Texas,  and  Arizona. 

In  1874,  he  went  to  Colorado,  where  he  remained  until 
stricken  with  gold  fever  in  June,  1876,  when  he  started 
with  a  party  via  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  for  the  Black  Hills, 
arriving  in  Deadwood  on  July  20th  of  that  year,  when  the 
gold  excitement  was  at  its  zenith,  where  he  has  continuously 
resided  since. 

Although  young  on  coming  to  the  Hills,  Mr.  Rewman 
was  not  altogether  an  unfledged  tenderfoot,  having  already 
mastered  the  rudiments  of  Western  life  on  the  plains  of  the 
southwest  and  profited  doubtless  by  his  experience.  At 
any  rate  he  cautiously  avoided  the  pitfalls  of  the  big  min- 
ing camp,  and  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities.  He 
was  made  Deputy  Sheriff  of  Lawrence  County  under  John 
Manning  in  1878  or  1879,  serving  in  that  capacity  two 
years. 

He  carried  the  first  mail  from  Deadwood  to  the  Belle 
Fourche  river  at  a  time  when  Indians  were  infesting  the 
northern  border,  and  when  his  personal  safety  depended 
upon  the  utmost  caution. 

From  1881  to  1891,  he  was  in  sole  charge  of  the  affairs 
of  the  Black  Hills  Telephone  Company,  since  which  date 
he  has  had  the  full  management  of  the  Deadwood  Electric 
Lighting  System,  in  which  he  owns  a  large  interest. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  605 

With  no  original  capital,  but  plenty  of  vim  and  push, 
Mr.  Rewman  has  acquired  a  handsome  competence,  far 
beyond  that  attained  by  the  average  of  our  early  Black 
Hills  pioneers.  By  mathematical  calculation,  basing  the 
estimate  on  his  probable  actual  weight  at  the  time,  he  had, 
on  reaching  Cheyenne  en  route  for  the  Black  Hills,  about 
$40.00  in  his  pocket,  to  outfit,  take  him  to  Deadwood,  and 
start  him  on  the  high  road  to  fortune.  Let  us  see.  One 
hundred  and  sixty  pounds  at  twenty-five  cents  per  pound 
produces  just  $40.00.  Mr.  Rewman  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Society  of  Black  Hills  Pioneers  since  its  organization, 
and  the  secretary  of  the  association  for  the  two  years  last 
past. 

BLACK    HILLS    PIONEER     AND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY    OF    1877. 

Having  in  view  the  organization  of  the  above  named 
society,  an  informal  meeting  was  held  in  Deadwood  on 
January  26th,  1895,  at  which  about  forty  of  those  who 
arrived  in  the  Black  Hills  during  the  year  1877,  and  a  few 
who  arrived  prior  to  that  year  but  were  interested  in  the 
organization  of  the  society,  were  present.  Hon.  Granville 
G.  Bennett  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  H.  J.  Ainley  acted 
as  secretary.  After  the  object  of  the  meeting  was  ex- 
plained by  Col.  Hiram  F.  Hale,  who,  with  Porter  War- 
ner and  F.  J.  Washabaugh,  earnestly  advocated  the  organi- 
zation of  the  society,  a  motion  prevailed  for  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  committee  to  draft  a  constitution  and  by-laws, 
to  be  submitted  to  a  full  meeting  called  for  January  30th, 
1895. 

At  the  meeting  of  January  30th,  1895,  a  permanent 
organization  was  effected  by  the  adoption  of  a  constitu- 
tion and  by-laws,  and  the  election  of  the  following  officers, 
viz. :  — 

President,  Hon.  Granville  G.Bennett;  Vice-President, 
Col.  Hiram  F.  Hale;  Secretary,  H.  J.  Ainley;  Treasurer, 
Frank  J.  Washabaugh;  Historian,  Wm.  Warner;  Mar- 
shal, Homer  E.  Moore;     Directors,  Wm.  Allinson,  John 


606  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Herman,  and  Willis  H.  Bonham,  with  an  original  member- 
ship of  124. 

This  society  was  organized,  as  indicated  by  its  name,  for 
the  double  purpose  of  perpetuating  a  bond  of  union  between 
those  who  first  came  to  the  Black  Hills  during  the  year 
1877,  for  the  mutual  benefit  and  enjoyment  of  its  mem- 
bers, and  collecting  facts  and  events  relating  to  their 
history,  and  doubtless  as  1877  was  the  beginning  of  an 
important  history-making  epoch,  much  invaluable  informa- 
tion will  be  gathered  and  preserved  through  its  efforts, 
which  otherwise  would  be  lost  and  forgotten. 

Among  the  pleasant  features  of  this  society  are  its  an- 
nual picnics,  which,  it  is  believed,  are  held  during  the 
early  summer  months,  whenever  the  weather  is  auspicious 
without  regard  to  a  fixed  date. 

There  have  been  eleven  deaths  of  members  of  the  so- 
ciety since  its  organization,  among  whom  are  Porter 
Warner,  who  was  Vice-President  of  the  association  at  the 
time  of  his  death  in  February,  1899,  and  John  Herman,  a 
director. 

The  original  officers  chosen  have  been  retained  from 
year  to  year,  with  but  few  exceptions.  The  present  chief 
officers  of  the  society  are:  Hon.  Granville  G.  Bennett, 
President;  Frank  McLaughlin,  Esq.,  Secretary;  Frank  J. 
Washabaugh,  Treasurer;   Dr.  H.  Stein,  Historian. 


LAST   HUNTING    GROUND    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS.  <)07 


CHAPTER     XL. 

MEADE   COUNTY. 

Prior  to  1889  all  that  portion  of  the  Bhick  Hills  now 
embraced  within  the  boundary  lines  of  Meade  County 
formed  a  part  of  the  original  territory  of  Lawrence  County, 
whose  lines  extended  nearly  ninety  miles  from  east  to  west, 
but  by  an  act  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  of  that  year 
the  unwieldy  organization  was  cut  in  twain  from  north  to 
south  near  its  geographical  center,  and  the  eastern  sub- 
division created  into  Meade  County.  By  this  subdivision 
Lawrence  County  was  separated  into  two  sections  differing 
widely  in  topography  and  material  resources — the  one 
comprising  the  major  part  of  the  open  prairie  land  of  the 
county,  stretching  away  eastward  to  the  North  Fork  of  the 
Chevenne  river;  the  other,  all  the  rich  mineral-bearing 
and  heavily  timbered  region  of  the  west. 

The  new  county  created  by  the  Act  contains  some  of  the 
finest  agricultural  and  grazing  land  to  be  found  in  the 
Black  Hills.  It  is  well  watered  by  numerous  streams 
whose  headwaters  are  gathered  from  multitudes  of  springs 
which  issue  forth  from  the  granite  and  metamorphic  rock 
hit^h  up  among  the  mountains  on  the  west,  and  traverse 
the  county  to  its  eastern  limits  on  the  Belle  Fourche  river. 
Chief  among  these  streams  are  the  Bear  Butte,  Alkali,  Elk, 
Box  Elder,  and  their  numerous  small  tributaries.  These, 
supplemented  by  a  bountiful  precipitation —  caused,  in  part, 
doubtless,  by  the  proximity  of  the  heavily  timbered  region 
of  the  Hills  along  its  western  boundary — render  the  soil 
peculiarly  adapted  to  farming  and  stock-raising. 

With  an  unlimited  range  covered  with  rich  grasses  which 
cure  readily  where  they  grow  and  retain  all  their  nutritious 


608  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

qualities  for  winter  feeding,  together  with  the  mildness  of 
the  climate,  make  the  raising  of  stock  on  a  large  or  small 
scale  a  profitable  industry  in  Meade  County,  which,  it  is 
conceded  by  stockmen,  produces  some  of  the  fattest,  sleek- 
est cattle  to  be  found  on  the  ranges  of  the  Black  Hills. 

The  streams  draining  the  area  of  Meade  County  are  heav- 
ily fringed  with  several  different  varieties  of  timber  —  elm, 
box  elder,  and  other  trees — while  along  the  foot-hills  is  found 
an  abundant  growth  of  spruce  and  pine,  furnishing  an  am- 
ple supply  of  timber  for  fuel  and  other  purposes.  There 
are  several  large  sawmills  located  in  Meade  County  which 
produce  hundreds  of  thousands  of  feet  of  lumber  annually 
from  the  pine  timbers  cut  from  the  Hills  along  its  western 
limits. 

Primarily  the  cause  of  separation  appears  to  have  been 
the  expense  and  hardships  imposed  upon  the  people  of  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  original  county,  by  the  extreme 
remoteness  of  the  seat  of  county  government,  where  all 
legal  business  had  necessarily  to  be  transacted.  A  second- 
ary cause  perhaps  Was  the  accretion  of  taxation  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  courts,  whose  time  was  for  the  most 
part  employed  in  adjucating  mineral  cases,  in  which  the 
people  of  the  agricultural  districts  had  no  interest,  and 
from  which  no  benefit  accrued  to  them. 

For  several  years  prior  to  the  segregation,  they  labored 
hard  to  bring  about  a  division,  leaving  no  stone  unturned 
to  accomplish  that  result.  Finally,  having  the  requisite 
population  to  entitle  them  to  such  action,  they  left  the 
home  roof,  at  the  time,  and  in  the  manner  before  stated, 
and  set  up  a  county  government  of  their  own,  burdened  with 
a  heavy  legacy  of  debt.  Naturally  when  they  came  to  the 
parting  of  the  ways,  Lawrence  County  was  loth  to  have  her 
rebellious  people  go,  but,  smarting  under  the  accumulated 
burdens  of  taxation,  without  representation,  and,  perhaps, 
an  unequal  distribution  of  the  spoils  of  office,  they  would 
not  be  stayed,  and  the  outcome  was  the  creation  of  Meade 
County  —  thus  named  after  Fort  Meade.     To  the  untiring 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  G09 

and  indefatigable  efforts  of  John  D.  Patton,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  at  the  time,  more  than  to  any 
other  person  is  due  the  credit  for  the  passage  of  the  Act 
creating  Meade  County. 

The  first  commissioners  of  the  county,  appointed  by  the 
Act,  were  Max  Hoehu,  Daniel  P.  Flood,  and  W.  C.  Burton, 
who  were  charged  with  the  especial  duty  of  making  all 
necessary  provisions  for  holding  an  election,  for  choosing 
county  officers  and  selecting  county  seat  by  popular  ballot. 
On  May  7th,  1889,  the  election  was  hehl  at  the  different 
voting  precincts  of  the  county,  resulting  in  the  election  of 
the  following  officers:  — 

Commissioners,  Samuel  H.  Martin,  Chairman  ;  Bland 
Herring,  Elliott  Nichols  ;  Sheriff,  W .  F.  L.  Suter  ;  Treas- 
urer, E.  F.  Huffman;  Eegister  of  Deeds,  Fred  Dunham; 
Auditor,  E.  C.  Lane;  States  Attorney,  C.  C.  Polk;  Su- 
perintendent of  Schools,  Lulu  Sehell;  Survej^or,  H.  E. 
Palmer;  Coroner,  Dr.  J.  B.  Cheney;  County  Physician, 
Dr.  W.  G.  Smith;  County  Judge,  Wm.  Cable;  Clerk  of 
Courts,  Max  Hoehn,  appointed  by  court.  These  officers 
were  to  serve  until  the  next  general  election  or  until  their 
successors  were  elected  and  qualified. 

The  rival  candidates  for  capital  honors  were  Sturgis  and 
Tilford,  the  former  capturing  the  plum  by  a  handsome 
majority  of  the  popular  vote,  in  consideration  of  which  the 
city  o-uaranteed  to  the  county  the  sum  of  $15,000.00  to- 
words  the  erection  of  a  courthouse.  In  partial  fulfillment 
of  this  obligation,  the  Meade  County  Land  and  Improve- 
ment Company,  of  which  J.  J.  Davenport  was  president 
and  Max  Hoehn,  secretary,  purchased  an  entire  block  of 
tyround  on  the  elevated  plateau  in  the  western  part  of  the 
city  and  deeded  the  same  to  the  county  for  a  courthouse 
site. 

In  the  adjustment  of  the  credits  and  debits  of  Lawrence 
County ,'at  a  joint  meeting  of  their  respective  commissioners 
there  was  apportioned  to  Meade  County  twenty-two  and 
one-tenth  per  cent  of  the  entire  indebtedness  of  Lawrence 

39 


610  THE    liLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

County,  said  apportionment  ^eing  based  upon  the  assessed 
valuation  of  the  county  in  1878.  To  guarantee  the  pay- 
ment of  its  obligations,  Meade  County  issued  to  Lawrence 
County  the  following  bonds,  to  wit:  $107,500  five  per 
cent  bonds,  and  $24,500.00  ten  per  cent  bonds,  upon  which 
the  interest  coupons  have  been  regularly  paid  since  their 
issuance.  In  this  connection  it  appears  that,  in  issuing 
bonds  to  refund  the  indebtedness  of  Lawrence  County,  its 
commissioners  had  overstepped  the  limits  prescribed  by 
law,  which  excess  the  county  subsequently  sought  to 
repudiate. 

Litigation  ensued,  and,  after  pendiug  in  the  courts  for 
several  years,  the  question  was  finally  settled  by  a  decision 
of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  holding  Lawrence 
County  for  the  full  face  of  the  bonds.  Meade  County 
meanwhile  had  refused  to  pay  its  proportion  of  the 
questionable  bonds  until  the  matter  was  settled  by  the 
courts. 

Soon  after  the  complete  organization  of  the  county,  its 
commissioners  directed  their  attention  to  the  adjustment  of 
the  school  districts  to  the  new  order  of  things  ;  the  repair- 
infy  of  old,  and  the  laying  out  and  building  new  roads  and 
bridges  throughout  the  county,  for  which  considerable 
sums  were  expended.  Finally  in  189G,  the  courthouse,  the 
crowning  glory  of  the  county  and  its  capital  city,  was 
completed  at  a  cost  for  grounds,  building,  and  equipments 
of  nearly  $26,000,  of  which  Sturgis  paid  $15,000  as  per 
agreement. 

The  building,  which  stands  conspicuous  on  the  elevated 
site  chosen  for  it,  is  an  imposing  three-storied  structure  of 
white  cut  stone,  handsomely  ornamented  with  pink  sand- 
stone, and,  from  the  iron-barred  windows  of  the  basement 
(which  is  used  for  a  jail),  to  the  top  of  the  rounded  dome, 
is  a  model  of  substantial  and  dignified  architecture,  strongly 
suo-o-estive  of  the  immutability  of  the  "  blind  goddess," 
who  is  supposed  to  preside  within.  In  internal  arrange- 
ment and  finish  it  is  perfect,  and  its  appointments  complete 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS. 


611 


ill  every  detail.  The  building  is  heated  by  furnaces  in  the 
basement,  and  every  office  and  room  throughout  is  pro- 
vided with  telephone,  water,  and  electric  service,  in  short, 


it  is  conceded   to  be  the  most  complete  courthouse  in  the 
Black  Hills,  as  well  as  the  most  costly. 

Exclusive  of  the  bonds  inherited  from  Lawrence  County 
the  total  indebtedness  of  Meade  County  is  $50,000,  its 
assessed  valuation  $1,600,000,  and  its  population  in  1898, 
5,000. 


612  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

STORGIS. 

Sturgis,  the  administrative  center  of  Meade  County,  is 
admirably  located  in  a  wide  basin  in  the  valley  of  Bear 
Biitte  creek,  snugly  embraced  by  two  confluents  of  the 
stream,  a  mile  and  one-half  west  of  Fort  Meade,  and  about 
fifteen  miles  by  railway  northeast  of  Deadwood.  The  bust- 
ling, enterprising  young  city  had  its  origin  twenty  years 
ago,  soon  after  the  location  of  Fort  Meade  in  August,  1878, 
on  the  spot  where  it  has  since  grown  and  flourished. 

Among  its  founders  were  Major  J.  C.  Wilcox,  J.  W. 
Rodebank,  B.  G.  Caulfield,  Judge  Dudley,  Arthur  Buckbee, 
J.  W.  Caldwell,  and  Major  H.  M.  Lazelle,  then  in  com- 
mand at  Fort  Meade,  who,  anticipating  fabulous  values  in 
corner  lots,  as  soon  as  the  location  of  the  post  became  a 
fixed  fact,  appeared  with  compass  and  chain,  selected  and 
laid  out  a  town-site,  and  named  it  Sturgis  in  honor  of  Col. 
S.  D.  Sturgis,  later  in  command  of  the  garrison  at  Fort 
Meade. 

The  original  plat,  containing  eighty  acres,  was  covered 
with  what  was  called  "  Valentine  Scrip,"  through  the 
agency  of  Barney  G.  Caulfield,  on  October  25th,  1878. 
Subsequently,  this  questionable  title  to  the  public  lands 
resulted  in  a  conflict  of  interests,  which  caused  considerable 
litigation  and  much  friction  between  the  town-site  company 
and  lot-holders,  which  difficulty  was,  however,  ultimately 
settled  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  in  favor  of  the 
company. 

To  the  original  plat  of  eighty  acres  numerous  additions 
have  since  been  made,  providing  ample  space  for  future 
expansion,  viz. :  The  Fort  Meade  addition  of  forty  acres, 
platted  by  Col.  S.  D.  Sturgis,  August  16th,  1880;  the  Ash 
Extension  of  120  acres,  on  July  7th,  1883;  the  McMillan 
Extension  of  160  acres,  on  October  20th,  1883;  Bosworth's 
Addition  of  forty  acres,  platted  by  C.  C.  Moody,  July  9th, 
1884  ;  the  Rodebank  Addition  of  forty  acres,  platted  by 
J.  W.  Rodebank,   November  11th,   1884;   Dudley  &  Cald- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  613 

well's  Addition  of  forty  acres,  in  February,  1885;  Patton's 
First  and  Second  Additions  of  forty  acres  each,  on  July  15th 
and  Jul}'^  16th,  1886,  respectively;  Comstock's  Addition 
of  forty  acres,  July  19th,  1886;  Fairview  Addition  of 
sixty  acres,  June  11th,  1887;  Rodebank's  Second  Addi- 
tion of  forty  acres,  June  15th,  1887;  Schnell's  Addition, 
July  16th,  1887;  McMillan's  Southwestern  and  Southern 
Addition  of  eighty  acres,  August  2d,  1887 ;  Franklin's 
Addition  ;  and  perhaps  others. 

The  first  to  settle  on  the  site  of  Sturgis  was  Geo.  Bos- 
worth,  who,  in  the  summer  of  1877,  settled  on  the  ground 
which  is  now  in  part  Bosworth's  Addition  to  Sturgis.  A 
Mrs.  Beck,  also,  prior  to  the  location  of  the  town-site,  took 
up  a  piece  of  ground,  which  was  subsequently  purchased  b}' 
Wm.  McMillan,  on  a  part  of  which  his  residence  now 
stands. 

The  first  settlers  in  the  vallej'^  of  Bear  Butte  creek,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Sturgis,  were  Wm.  Fletcher  and  Wm.  Myers, 
both  of  whom  came  to  the  valley  in  July,  1876,  and  located 
the  ranches  upon  which  they  now  respectively  reside,  the 
former  a  mile  and  a  half  below  Fort  Meade,  the  latter  an 
equal  distance  further  down  the  creek.  Until  the  summer  of 
1877  these  two  men  were  the  only  settlers  in  the  region  for 
miles  around,  and  were  constantly  exposed  to  the  scant 
mercy  of  the  roving  bands  of  Indians,  who  were,  at  that 
time,  depredating  the  Hills  from  center  to  circumference, 
and  Bear  Butte  valley  did  not  escape  their  notice. 

In  August,  1876,  a  pony  express  rider,  while  en  route 
from  Fort  Pierre  to  Crook  City  with  the  mail,  was  mur- 
dered by  the  savages,  who  cut  open  the  mail  pouch, 
mutilated  and  threw  its  contents  to  the  winds,  then  rode 
away  with  the  horse  of  their  dead  victim.  Mr.  Fletcher, 
who  was  attracted  to  the  spot  by  the  unusual  spectacle  of 
a  profusion  of  white  papers  lying  scattered  about  under  a 
tree,  discovered  the  body,  which  he  buried  as  best  he  could 
on  a  spot  near  the  present  residence  of  H,  Carroll,  where 
his   ashes  still  repose.     Although  Mr.    Fletcher    kept  an 


614  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

experienced  scout  constantly  employed  at  a  salary  of  fifty 
dollars  per  month  in  patrolling  the  surrounding  country 
to  warn  the  two  lone  men  against  surprise,  the  Indians 
stole  in  one  morning,  in  March,  1877,  just  at  the  glimmer- 
ing of  the  dawn,  while  Mr.  Fletcher,  Mr.  Myers,  and  the 
scout  were  profoundly  sleei)ing  in  their  tent,  and  applied 
the  torch  to  forty  tons  of  hay  stacked  a  short  distance 
away. 

On  emerging  from  his  tent  a  little  later,  Mr.  Fletcher 
proceeded  to  a  slight  elevation  of  ground  and  scanned  the 
valley  up  and  down,  to  make  sure  that  all  was  well,  when 
he  beheld  the  fruits  of  his  toil  going  up  in  flame  and  smoke 
and  about  a  dozen  Indians  circling  and  dancing  gleefully 
around  the  burning  pile.  He  prudently  retreated  to  the 
tent,  when  the  three  inmates  hastily  put  themselves  on  a 
defensive  war  footing,  and  awaited  the  denouement,  but 
they  were  not  molested.  The  band  then  rode  off  down  the 
valley  and  burned  eighty  tons  of  baled  hay  stacked  on  the 
Myers'  ranch  below. 

It  is  also  related  that  during  the  same  year  Major  Wile  ox 
employed  men  to  cut  hay  north  of  Bear  Butte,  where  he 
had  located  a  temporary  ranch,  which  one  day  was  raided 
by  a  band  of  Indians,  who  killed  his  cattle  and  two  men 
and  a  woman,  emigrants  who  had  taken  refuge  at  the  ranch. 
Another  man  fled  for  safety  to  a  dugout,  in  the  face  of  a  blufl" 
near  by,  and  kept  them  at  bay  with  his  trusty  Sharp's  rifle. 

The  first  store  on  the  site  of  Sturgis  was  built  and  opened 
by  Capt.  Harmon,  in  September,  1878,  in  the  building 
which  yet  stands  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Main  and  First 
streets,  now  occupied  by  John  Scott  as  a  second-hand  store. 
Mr.  Harmon  opened  business  with  an  extensive  stock  of 
general  merchandise,  including  everything  from  a  glass  of 
*' Early  Times"  whisky  to  a  paper  of  pins,  and,  it  goes 
without  saying,  that  he  transacted  a  flourishing  business. 
The  second  store  was  opened  during  the  same  fall  by  Wm. 
McMillan,  who  followed  closely  upon  the  heels  of  Capt. 
Harmon  with  a  general  stock  of  dry  goods,  groceries,  boots 


LAST    HUxNTINU    GROUxXD    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  *)15 

and  shoes,  clothing,  etc.  As  a  matter  of  fact  Mr.  McMillan 
might  have  been  the  pioneer  merchant  of  Sturgis  had  he 
no^ unselfishly  aided  Capt.  Harmon  in  the  erection  of  his 
store  instead  of  first  building  his  own. 

The  first  hotel,  in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  term, 
was  opened  by  Chas.  Elsener  in  the  veritable  building  now 
known  as  the  Charles  Hotel,  on  the  south  side  of  Main 
street,  in  the  early  part  of  October,  1878.     However,  on 
the  26th  of  September,  1878,  Mr.  John  Scollard  opened  a 
restaurant  and  lodging  rooms  in  a  building  which  stood  on 
the  ground  now  occupied  by  Benevolent  Hall,  on  the  south- 
east^corner  of  Main  and  Second  streets,  which  he  conducted 
as  a  house  of  entertainment  pending  the  construction  of 
his   hotel.     On  the  2lst  of  January,  1879,  he  opened  the 
Sheridan  House,  a  commodious  two-story  structure,  on  the 
north  side  of  Main  street,  where,  for  the  past  twenty  winters 
and  summers,  he  has  enacted  the  role  of  "  genial  host." 

In  the  winter  of  1878-9,  a  regular  post  office  was  estab- 
lished at  Sturgis  with  Charles  Collins  as  first  postmaster. 
Mr.  Collins  was  succeeded  by  Major  J.  C.  Wilcox,  who 
held  the  position  from  1879  to  1883. 

While  these  business  enterprises  were  soon  supplemented 
by  other  kinds  of  trade  and  traffic,  perhaps  equally 
worthy  of  note,  this  especial  reference  is  made  to  the  first 
ventures  because  they  led  the  procession  out  on  the  broad 
hicrhway  to  the  city's  present  prosperity.  Owing  to  the 
comparatively  unsettled  and  undeveloped  condition  of  the 
rich  agricultural  lands,  comprising  the  eastern  portion  of 
what  was  then  Lawrence  County,  the  growth  of  Sturgis, 
durincr  the  Hrst  few  years  of  its  history,  was  somewhat 
discouragingly  slow,  much  of  its  trade  being  derived  from 
the  garrison  at  Fort  Meade. 

In  1883,  however,  the  memorable  year  in  which  the 
great  flood  laid  waste  the  valleys  of  the  north,  and  nearly 
blotted  Deadwood  from  the  map  of  the  Black  Hills,  the 
town  shot  up  like  a  sky-rocket,  nearly  doubling  its  popula- 
tion and  number  of  business  houses  within  a  year.    Sturgis, 


616  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

though  not  in  the  least  rejoicing  at,  yet  hoping  to  profit  by, 
the  terrible  disaster  to  the  capital  city,  which,  it  was 
thought,  could  never  recuperate  in  its  native  contracted 
valley,  expected,  yea,  longed  to  embrace  within  her  ex- 
pansive arms,  a  large  percentage  of  the  businessless  and 
homeless  population  of  the  stricken  city,  and  to  that  end, 
opened  wide  her  hospital)le  gates.  But,  alas!  "  the  best 
laid  plans  o'  mice  and  men,"  —  you  know  the  rest. 
Sturgis  did  not  properly  estimate  the  metal  of  which 
Dead  wood  was  composed,  nor  the  strength  of  its  attach- 
ment to  the  gold-laden  hills  and  valleys  of  its  birthplace. 
Pure  air  and  plenty  of  space  counts  for  little  in  the 
balance  against  gold. 

Although  the  influx  of  population  did  not  materialize  to 
any  great  extent  at  that  time,  Sturgis  maintained  its  status, 
and  pursued  the  even  tenor  of  its  way,  until  it  received  a 
new  impetus  in  1888  by  the  arrival  of  the  F.  E.  &  M.  V. 
R.  R.,  which,  although  its  station  was  built  at  a  provoking 
distance  from  the  center  of  business,  added  much  to  its 
commercial  importance,  since  which  time  its  growth  has 
been  steady  and  permanent. 

On  March  15lh,  1886,  the  town  was  reorganized,  and  the 
following  officers  duly  elected:  Board  of  Trustees,  Max 
Hoehn,  President,  J.  J.  Davenport  and  John  Farley  ; 
Marshal,  W.  F.  L.  Sontor  ;  Clerk,  Treasurer,  Assessor  and 
City  Justice  of  the  Peace,  O.  W.  Jevvett. 

This  organization  continued  in  force  until  June,  1888, 
when  the  town  was  incorporated  into  a  city  by  an  Act 
of  the  Territorial  Legislature,  and  separated  into  three 
wards,  each  ward  being  represented  by  two  members  to  the 
Common  Council,  whose  first  meeting  was  held  on  June 
22d,  1888.  The  first  officers  of  the  new  municipality  were: 
Mayor,  John  T.  Potter;  Aldermen,  J.  C.  McMillan,  W.  W. 
Sabin,  Max  Blatt,  Lewis  Abrams,  W.  G.  Smith,  and  John 
Wenkie  ;  City  Auditor,  Max  Hoehn;  City  Attorney,  C. 
C.  Polk;  Treasurer,  J.  J.  Davenport;  Chief  of  Police, 
Pat  Flavin;  City  Justice,  B.  F.  Stearns. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  617 

PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1879,  a  district  of  the  public 
schools  of  Lawrence  County  was  organized  for  Sturgis, 
and  in  April  of  that  year  the  first  pubhc  school  was  opened 
by  Mrs.  Nellie  Rodebank  with  an  attendance  of  ten  pupils. 
This  first  term  was  taught  in  a  small,  unfinished  board 
shanty  that  stood  on  Lazalle  street  opposite  Second  avenue. 
During  the  summer  of  1879  a  log  cabin  that  stood  almost 
directly  opposite  the  board  shanty  was  secured  for  school 
purposes,  in  which  the  following  teachers  were  successively 
employed:  Miss  Ada  C.  Hall  of  Bear  Butte  Valley,  for  the 
fall  term  of  1879  ;  Mrs.  Robt.  Neill,  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer term  of  1880 ;  and  Mrs.  Bartholomew,  wife  of  a 
Methodist  minister,  for  the  fall  term  of  that  year. 

During  the  year  1881  the  first  public  school  building  of 
the  district,  a  small  one-story  frame  structure,  was  erected 
on  or  near  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  courthouse.  The 
first  teacher  in  the  new  building  was  Miss  Clara  Barber, 
who  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Kate  Doyle  (now  Mrs.  C.  B. 
Harris  of  Galena).  In  1882  the  frame  building  was  moved 
from  the  hill  to  a  site  secured  by  the  board  on  Sherman 
street,  nearly  opposite  the  present  home  of  Wesley  A. 
Stuart,  when,  to  accommodate  the  rapidly  increasing  at- 
tendance of  pupils,  its  capacity  was  enlarged  by  an  addi- 
tion thereto.  For  several  subsequent  years  the  school  was 
under  the  supervision  of  Professor  H.  H.  Lorrimer,  who 
was  succeeded  by  Professor  B.  A.  Tjder,  whom  the  wn'iter 
knew  well  and  favorably,  having  met  him  often  in  connec- 
tion with  educational  work. 

In  1888  the  present  school  building,  a  fine  two-story  brick 
structure  of  four  departments,  was  erected,  in  which  Prof. 
Tyler  continued  his  work  until  1895,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  present  incumbent.  Prof ,  Chas.  W.  Young. 
According  to  the  testimony  of  those  who  are  in  a  position 
to  know  and  are  competent  to  judge  Prof.  Young  has  dur- 
ing his  supervision  brought  the  school  up  to  a  high  plane 


618  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OR, 

of  excellence,  having,  since  he  has  been  at  the  helm,  gradu- 
ated two  classes  from  the  school  with  honor  to  its  members, 
which  fact,  of  itself,  tells  more  eloquently  than  mere 
words  of  the  competency  and  ability  of  their  instructor. 

The  brick  building  finally  proving  inadequate  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  the  pupils,  a  one-story  frame  building  was 
subsequently  erected  on  the  school  grounds,  at  an  aggregate 
cost,  for  the  two  buildings,  including  sites,  of  $13,000.00. 
The  buildings  are  admirably  located  in  the  western  part  of 
the  city,  at  the  lower  extremity  of  a  sightly  eminence, 
which  gradually  slopes  towards  the  east,  rendering  the 
school  easy  of  access  to  children  and  teachers.  The  num- 
ber of  pupils  enrolled  for  the  year  beginning  September, 
1858,  is  325,  and  the  total  indebtedness  of  the  district  is 
$9,250.35.     . 

CHURCHES  OF  STURGIS. 

The  first  church  edifice  erected  in  Sturgis  was  built  by 
the  Catholic  society  in  1882,  on  an  elevated  plateau  in  the 
western  part  of  the  city.  The  site  for  this  modest  little 
frame  structure  was  donated  to  the  society  by  Judge  Ash, 
then,  as  now,  a  resident  of  Sturgis.  The  society  has  grown 
since  then  almost  beyond  the  capacity  of  the  building,  and 
a  more  commodious  structure  will,  doubtless,  soon  have  to 
be  provided. 

A  little  to  the  eastward  of  the  church,  on  the  same  com- 
manding eminence,  is  located  the  Catholic  St.  Martin's 
Academy,  established  through  the  unremitting  labors  of 
Rev.  Father  Rosen  in  1888.  The  buildings  of  this  excel- 
lent institution  now  consist  of  two  elegant  three-storied 
structures  built  of  light  gray  sandstone,  handsomely  trim- 
med with  red  sandstone,  mined  from  the  quarries  of  the 
hills  adjacent  to  the  city.  The  stone  material  for  these 
buildings  was  procured  free  of  charge,  it  is  said,  from 
quarries  belonging  to  Judge  Ash.  Aided  by  liberal  dona- 
tions of  lots  in  different  localities  of  the  town,  by  citizens 
of  Sturgis,  Father  Rosen  selected  and  purchased  the  site 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  ()19 

and  began  the  construction  of  the  buildings  early  in  the 
spring  of  1888.  In  May  of  that  year  tive  Benedictine 
Sisters,  of  whom  sister  Angela,  the  present  Mother  Sup- 
erior, was  one,  arrived  in  Sturgis  from  Yankton,  having 
been  sent  by  Right  Rev.  Martin  Marty,  Bishop  of  the 
Diocese,  at  the  request  of  Father  Rosen,  to  take  charge  of 
the  school.  In  this  connection,  it  may  not  be  impertinent 
to  state  that  these  five  sisters  had  left  Switzerland  in  1887, 
crossed  the  mighty  deep  and  came  to  Yankton,  South 
Dakota,  where  they  spent  an  entire  year  in  trying  to  master 
the  difficulties  of  the  English  vernacular,  and  its  pronun- 
ciation, preparatory  to  entering  upon  their  life's  noble 
work. 

On  reaching  Sturgis  no  time  was  lost  in  beginning  the 
work  of  building  up  a  Catholic  school.  A  building  that 
stood  on  ground  near  the  present  residence  of  Max  Hoehn, 
was  secured,  and  a  school  opened  with  an  attendance  of 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  pupils  during  the  first  term,  and,  by 
the  way,  the  first  pupil  secured  by  the  Sisters  was  Miss 
Carrie  Francis,  now  Mrs.  H.  E.  Perkins,  wife  of  the 
cashier  of  the  Meade  County  Bank.  During  the  last  week 
of  December,  1889,  the  first  building  of  the  institution 
though  not  yet  fully  completed  was  occupied  by  the  sisters 
as  a  permanent  home,  and  subsequently,  the  lower  story  of 
the  second  structure  was  finished  and  equipped  for  school 
purposes.  In  1898  this  latter  building,  which,  in  material 
and  external  construction,  is  an  almost  exact  counterpart, 
from  foundation  stone  to  gabled  roof,  of  the  first,  was 
built  up  and  completed,  according  to  the  original  plan  of 
the  architect. 

This  institution,  which  has  acquired  a  wide  reputation  for 
excellence  of  instruction  and  salutary  discipline,  is  numer- 
ously attended  each  year  by  pupils  not  only  from  all  sec- 
tions of  the  Hills,  but  from  different  parts  of  this  and 
other  States.  Within  its  secluded  walls  numerous  orphaned 
and  half-orphaned  children,  find  safe  and  comfortable 
homes,    secure    from    all    worldly  allurements,   under  the 


620  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

tender  guidance,  yet  firm  discipline  of  the  devoted,  self- 
sacrificing  sisters.  There  are  usually  in  attendance  at  the 
institution  from  fifty  to  sixty  day  pupils,  from  ninety  to 
100  boarders,  and  twenty  orphans  who  make  it  a  permanent 
home. 

METHODIST    CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Church  began  its  religious  work  at  a  very 
early  date  in  the  annals  of  Sturgis,  and  appears  to  have 
been  the  first  to  organize  a  society  though  not  the  first  to 
build  a  church  edifice  in  the  new  town.  Its  history  is  but 
a  repetition  of  the  story  of  the  battles  of  all  the  earlier 
religious  organizations  of  the  Hills  with  the  -problem  of 
devising  ways  and  means  to  build  a  house  of  worship. 
Away  back  in  the  fall  of  1878,  when  Sturgis  was  in  its 
swaddling  clothes,  a  Sunday  school  was  organized,  and  held 
first  from  house  to  house  at  the  homes  of  its  members, 
alternately. 

The  necessity  for  more  permanent  accommodations  soon 
becoming  apparent,  a  movement  was  set  on  foot  to  raise 
money  for  the  purchase  of  a  site  and  the  erection  of  a 
building.  Through  the  eflbrts  of  Mr.  Calvin  Duke,  says 
the  church  record,  a  fund  was  raised  among  those  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  movement,  and  two  lots,  located  near  the 
present  residence  of  Mr.  Flavin,  on  Sherman  street,  were 
purchased,  and  a  small  building  erected  thereon,  which 
for  a  time  was  used  jointly  for  Sunday  school  and  monthly 
church  services,  by  Elder  Williams.  Later,  Rev.  Ira 
Wakefield,  one  of  the  pioneer  Black  Hills  missionaries, 
held  alternate  services  at  Sturgis  and  Crook  City.  One 
Sunday  in  1880,  while  the  school  was  in  session,  the  build- 
ing, unfortunately  or  fortunately,  as  one  looks  at  it,  took 
fire  and  was  burned  to  the  ground,  when  for  a  while  ser- 
vices were  held  in  the  old  public  school  building  near  the 
present  courthouse. 

In  1881  the  ground  now  occupied  by  Benevolent  Hall, 
was  purchased  by  the  society  and  the  two  lots  on  Sherman 


LAST   HUNTING    GROUND    OF   THE    DAKOTAHS. 


621 


Street  were  exchanged  for  two  lots  on  Main  street,  and  a 
parsonage  commenced,  for  which  the  work  and  material 
was  domited.  In  1887-8,  the  property  on  Main  street  was 
gold  and  the  present  Methodist  church  on  Cedar  street  was 

built. 

The  resident  pastors  of  the  church  since  1881,  were: 
Rev.  Bartholomew,  first  resident  pastor;  Rev.  Victor 
Charrion,  for  two  years;  Rev.  W.  D.  Atwater,  for  three 
years;  Rev.  F.  E.  Lymer,  for  two  years;  Revs.  T.  F.  J. 
Follenbee,  Shambough,  and  G.  C.  Ulmer,  each  remaining 
one  year.  In  1893  Rev.  Atwater  returned  and  during  his 
second  pastorate  the  church  was  enlarged  and  improved. 
In  1895  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  W.  J.  Pyle,  who  still 
watches  over  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  church  and 
jealously  guards  his  flock,  to  keep  them  in  the  straight  and 

narrow  way. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  entered  the  religious  field  at  a 
much  later  date,    and   established  itself    under   far   more 
favorable  auspices.     Its  first  society  was  organized  in  the 
summer  of    1886,  and,  during   the    same   year,   both    the 
church  and  parsonage  were  built  by  Kev.  J.Logan  Sample, 
and  by  him  donated  to  the  society  —  burdened  with  an  in- 
cumbrance   of     only  $550,00    on  the  parsonage,  —  which 
oblicration  was  assumed  by  the  society  and  paid  in  annual 
payments.     In  the  spring  of  1887  the  building  was  dedi- 
cated   Rev.    W.  S.    Peterson,   now    of    Lead,    preaching 
the  dedication  sermon.     The  first  pastor  of  the  church  was 
Rev.  Eckols,  who   remained  in  charge  two  years,  when  he 
was  successively  followed  by  Revs.  Nelson,  Toby,  Scroggs, 
and  Prugh.     In  1898  Rev.  E.  G.  Wright  was  installed  as 
permanent  pastor.     The    society  has  a  neat  and  commodi- 
ous  house  of  worship,  fitted  out  with  electric  incandescent 
liahts,  and  in  its  recent  new  coat  of  paint  presents  a  very 
tasteful  external  appearance. 

The  St.  Thomas  Episcopal  Society  was  organized  in 
1887,  and  first  held  services  in  the  old  Sturgis  Opera 
House.     Its  present  church    edifice  -  situated  on  Howard 


Q22  THE    BLACK    HII.LS;     Oil, 

street  and  Junction  avenue,  was  built  m  1892,  and  conse- 
crated by  Bishop  Hare  in  1893.  All  this  was  not  accom- 
plished without  a  good  deal  of  hard  labor  and  much  self- 
sacrifice  on  the  part  of  its  members,  but  the  details  of  the 
story  of  their  struggles  to  build  and  maintain  the  church 
may,  perhaps,  as  well  remain  a  matter  of  unwritten  history. 
Rev.  North  Tumraon,  its  present  recter,  came  to  Sturgis  in 
1893,  to  assume  charge  of  the  work,  and  to  his  labors  and 
earnest  devotion,  aided  by  the  unstinted  generosity  of  one 
whose  hands  will  never  again  open  responsive  to  its  needs 
(Dr.  Sanderson),  is  largely  due  the  present  existence  of 
the  church. 

The  first  newspaper  published  in  Sturgis  was  the  Sturgis 
Weekly  Record,  established  by  Messrs.  Moody  &  Elliott 
in  July,  1893.  The  paper,  which  is  now  under  the  busi 
ness  control  and  editorial  management  of  C.  C.  Moody, 
the  first  named  member  of  the  original  firm,  is  a  refresh- 
ingly spicy,  critical  and  somewhat  caustic  sheet  conducted, 
politically,  in  the  interests  of  the  "  G.  O.  P." 

The  nucleus  of  the  Sturgis  Fire  Department  was  formed 
by  the  organization  of  the  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  on 
January  17th,  1887,  with  H.  C.  Alexander  as  Chief;  First 
Assistant,  John  Behm;  Second  Assistant,  J.  A.  Gaylor  ; 
President,  W.  E.  Jones;  Secretary,  H.  P.  Hannon.  The 
present  efficient  department  consists  of  the  original  Hook 
and  Ladder  Company,  Key  City  Hose  Company,  and  Hose 
Company  No.  1. 

BANKS. 

By  a  somewhat  remarkable  coincidence,  the  first  two 
banks  of  Sturgis,  both  unorganized  enterprises,  were  opened 
for  the  transaction  of  business  on  the  same  day  in  the  fall 
of  1883,  one  by  J.J.  Davenport,  himself  acting  as  cashier ; 
the  other  by  Stebbins,  Fox  &  Co.,  with  J.  C.  Shurtz  as 
cashier.  Two  years  later,  in  the  fall  of  1885,  the  first 
named  of  these  was  organized  under  the  Territorial  laws, 
by  J.  J.  Davenport,  as  the  Lawrence  County  Bank,  with  a 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  623 

capital  stock  of  $25,000.00.  In  June,  1887,  the  Lawrence 
County  Bank  and  the  bank  of  Stebbins,  Fox  &  Co.  con- 
solidated under  the  name  of  the  Lawrence  County  Bank, 
which,  in  July,  1887,  after  spending  thirty  days  in 
liquidating  its  finances,  was  organized  into  the  First 
National  Bank,  by  J.  J.  Davenport  and  W.  R.  Stebbins. 

In-  1896  the  First  National  Bank  went  into  liquidation 
and  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  South  Dakota  and 
became  the  Meade  County  Bank,  with  D.  A.  McPherson  as 
President;  James  Halley,  Cashier,  and  Jos.  Ryan,  Assist- 
ant Cashier.  Its  present  officers  are:  D.  A.  McPherson, 
President;  P.  E.  Sparks,  Vice-President:  H.  E.  Perkins, 
Cashier,  and  H.  L.  Conter,  Assistant  Cashier. 

The  Meade  County  Bank  rests  upon  a  solid  foundation, 
and  is  regarded  in  financial  circles  as  one  of  the  most 
reliable  banking  institutions  in  the  State. 

On  September  1st,  1889,  another  financial  institution 
was  opened  for  business  by  an  organization  known  as  the 
Western  Bank  and  Trust  Company,  with  Chas.  C.  Polk  as 
President  ;  Jacob  W.  Weeks,  Vice-President,  and  Olaf  Hol- 
weg,  Cashier.  The  organization  was  incorporated  under 
the  Territorial  laws  with  an  authorized  capital  of  $250,000, 
and  a  paid-up  capital  of  $57,000.  The  original  intention 
of  the  incorporators  was  to  make  a  specialty  of  farm  mort- 
gage business,  but  finding  the  outlook  along  that  line 
unpromising,  it  was  soon  dropped  when  the  institution 
confined  itself  to  an  exclusive  banking  business  until  April, 
1894,  when  it  went  into  voluntary  liquidation.  In  June, 
1894,  a  receiver  was  appointed,  who,  after  paying  off  the 
company's  obligations,  and  restoring  to  the  stockholders 
$28,000  in  real  estate  and  other  securities,  was  discharo-ed 
in  August,  1894. 

MANUFACTURES. 

During  the  three  or  four  years  subsequent  to  the  forma- 
tion of  Meade  County,  Sturgis  rapidly  increased  in  popula- 
tion, wealth,  and  prestige,  and  its  citizens  expended  large 


624  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

sums  in  the  establishment  of  such  public  and  private  enter- 
prises as  would  place  it  upon  an  enduring  basis.  Among 
the  first  of  these  was  the  building  of  the  Sturgis  Steam 
Roller  Flouring  Mill  by  George  Lawrence,  in  the  fall  of 
1889,  at  a  cost  of  |6,000.  To  encourage  the  establishment 
of  the  industry,  the  citizens  of  Sturgis  guaranteed  to  the 
builder  the  ground  upon  which  the  mill  stands,  near  the 
western  limits  of  the  city,  besides  a  cash  bonus  of  $2,500. 
The  mill,  which  has  a  capacity  of  fifty  barrels  per  day,  is 
supplied  almost  exclusively  with  wheat  grown  within  the 
limits  of  Meade  County,  which  also  raises  a  surplus  for 
shipment. 

The  plant  is  now  owned  and  operated  by  George  Early, 
who  manufactures  tiour  from  native  grain  equal  to  that 
produced  in  any  other  portion  of  the  West —  Minneapolis 
not  excepted. 

A  large  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  "  stucco  "  from  the 
extensive  gypsum  beds  in  the  vicinity  of  Sturgis  was 
operated  for  a  number  of  years,  whose  excellent  product 
found  ready  sale  in  large  quantities  in  Eastern  cities.  The 
works  were  destroyed  by  fire  a  few  years  ago,  since  which 
time  the  industry  has  not  been  re-established. 

WATER    SYSTEM. 

Prior  to  1893  Sturgis  was  lacking  in  one  of  the  chief 
requisites  to  health  and  happiness  —  an  abundant  supply  of 
pure,  soft  water.  For  nearly  fifteen  years  the  people  had 
drawn  their  supply  of  that  essential  fluid  for  domestic  pur- 
poses from  the  depths  of  the  wells  which  are  yet  to  be  seen 
at  the  back  doors  of  many  of  the  early  residences,  or  from 
the  uncertain  flow  of  Bear  Butte  creek.  While  these  wells 
furnished  an  ample  supply,  perhaps,  their  waters,  though 
healthful,  are  hard  and  considerably  impregnated  with 
alkali,  which  renders  them  rather  unpleasant  to  the  taste, 
and,  what  is  far  worse,  destructive  to  the  complexion. 

Full}'  appreciating  these  disadvantages,  the  city  fathers, 
at  their  meeting  of  June  12th,  1892,  granted  to  one  of  its 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  ()25 

cntcrprisini^  citizens  —  Joseph  J.  Davenport  —  a  franchise 
to  supply  the  city  with  pure  water  from  the  mountains  for 
u  period  of  twenty  years.  Mr.  Davenport,  in  accordance 
with  the  conditions  of  the  franchise,  completed  the  plant 
and  turned  the  water  into  the  mains  on  March  9th,  1893. 
The  water  supply  is  drawn  from  mountain  springs  located 
four  and  a  half  miles  from  the  city  limits,  and  poured  into 
a  reservoir,  situated  750  feet  above  the  level  of  Main  street, 
whence  it  comes  down  through  the  mains  with  a  pressure 
of  over  300  pounds  to  the  square  inch.  The  water  is  pro- 
nounced by  experts,  who  have  analyzed  its  properties,  to 
be  exceptionally  pure,  and  free  from  all  disease-producing 
germs. 

The  system  has  eight  and  a  half  miles  of  pipe,  fifty-five 
hydrants  for  fire  purposes  within  the  city  limits,  and  also 
furnishes  Fort  Meade  with  water,  under  a  ten-years'  con- 
tract. It  has  140  taps,  which  yield  to  the  proprietor  a 
gross  income  of  $8,000.00  i)er  annum. 

In  1892  Benevolent  Hall  Association  Temple,  the  most 
elaborate  and  costly  edifice  till  then  erected  in  Sturgis,  was 
built  by  four  of  the  secret  societies  of  the  city,  the  Masonic, 
Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  order  of  United 
Workmen,  at  a  cost,  it  is  alleged,  of  $20,100.  The  building 
covering  an  area  of  50x120  feet,  is  a  two-story  brick  structure 
with  iron  facade,  and  is  an  ornament  and  credit  to  the  bus- 
iness thoroughfare  of  the  city.  According  to  the  original 
design,  the  upper  story  is  devoted  to  the  meetings  of  the 
above  respective  lodges,  where  the  hidden  mysteries  of  the 
orders  are  periodically  practiced. 

ELECTRIC  LIGHT  SYSTEM. 

The  Sturgis  Electric  Lighting  Service  was  established  in 
the  spring  of  1897,  under  the  terms  of  a  twenty  years  fran- 
chise, granted  by  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  to  the 
Sturgis  Electric  Light  and  Railway  Company  —an  organiza- 
tion effected  under  the  laws  of  the  State  —  with  Messrs.  A. 
D.  Stewart,  J.  B.  C.  Baker,  H.  E,  Perkins,  and  S.  K.  Seitz 

40 


626 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


as  incorporators.  A  fine  steel-roofed  power  house,  fitted 
out  with  the  requisite  electric  appliances,  was  built  by  the 
company,  at  a  cost  of  about  $8,000.  The  plant  is  furnished 
with  ample  capacity  for  thoroughly  lighting  the  streets, 
business  houses,  and  homes  of  the  city,  and  will,  doubtless, 
in  the  not  distant  future,  be  equipped  with  additional  facili- 
ties and  largely  increased  power,  for  running  a  contem- 
plated electric  motor  railway  line  from  Fort  Meade  to 
the  Elkhorn  Railroad  Station  via  Sturgis,  the  right  of  way 


STREET   SCENE   IN   STURGIS,    FEBRUARY   22d,    li 


over  the  military  reservation  having  already  been  secured 
by  the  company  from  the  United  States  government  for 
such  a  line. 

The  consummation  of  such  an  enterprise  from  an  eco- 
nomic standpoint  would  prove  of  vast  advantage  to  the  gov- 
ernment, in  the  transportation  of  the  immense  amount  of 
freight  used  by  the  post,  and  also  to  the  business  interests 
of  Sturgis,  besides  adding  to  the  convenience  of  passengers 
along  the  line. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THP:    DAKOTAIIS.  627 

Among  the  secret  and  other  organizations  of  Stiugis  are 
the  orders  of  Free  Masons,  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  Modern 
Woodmen,  G.  A.  R.,  a  Women's  Literary  Club,  a  Com- 
mercial Club  and  Band  Organization,  of  which  latter  the 
average  citizen  of  Sturgis  feels  justly  proud.  The  most 
potent  factor  in  the  business  economy  of  Sturgis,  indeed 
the  very  head  and  front  of  its  commercial  existence,  is  the 
'*  Sturgis  Commercial  Club."  This  organization  is  com- 
posed of  its  leading  business  men,  whose  aim  and  purpose 
is  to  promote,  in  every  legitimate  way,  the  material  interest 
of  the  city,  by  inviting  the  investment  of  capital  and  en- 
couraging public  improvements  within  its  limits.  Its  more 
recent  efforts  have  been  directed  towards  securing  the  per- 
manency and  enlargement  of  Fort  Meade,  upon  the  reten- 
tion of  which,  the  furture  prosperity  of  Sturgis,  as  well 
as  the  safety  of  the  people  of  the  surrounding  country, 
largely  depends. 

The  present  officers  of  the  club  are  H.  E.  Perkins,  presi- 
dent; John  Scollard,  vice-president;  W.  C.  Buderus,  sec- 
retary, P.  E.  Sparks,  treasurer.  The  executive  com- 
mittee are  the  president,  secretary,  and  treasurer,  of  the 
club,  M.  F.  HMl,  Wesley  A.  Stuart,  Geo.  W.  Mumford, 
and  H.  O.  x4.nderson. 

The  press  is  now  represented  in  Sturgis  by  three  well 
conducted  newspapers  —  the  Sturgis  Record,  by  C.  C. 
Moody,  The  Advertiser,  by  W.  S.  Chase;  The  Press,  by 
Mrs.  b.  T.  Connor. 

The  Sturgis  bar  consists  of  seven  lawyers  and  attorneys 
viz.;  Wesley  A.  Stuart,  Chas.  C.  Polk,  M.  McMahon,  J. 
C.  McClung,  Sherman  Wilcox,  O.  W.  Jewett,  and  W.  C. 
Buderus,  besides  several  insurance  attorneys,  among  whom 
are  Max  Hoehn,  H.  P.  Atwater,  Perkins  &  Conter,  and 
perhaps  others. 

Owing  to  the  extreme  healthfulness  of  its  climate  Sturgis 
sustains,  at  this  writing,  only  three  disciples  of  Esculapius, 


628  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

viz.,  Dr.  L.  L.  Sanderson,  J.  McSloy,  W.  G.  Smith,  and 
one  dental  surgeon,  R.  P.  Smitb. 

The  existing  urban  industries  of  Sturgis  consist  of  an 
extensive  sawmill,  a  planing  mill,  sash  and  door  factory, 
and  a  large  tannery  and  lath  manufactory  in  the  suburbs 
of  the  city.  Its  mercantile  houses,  and  other  business 
occupations  of  various  kinds,  number  about  seventy-five, 
and  its  present  population,  by  a  conservative  estimate, 
numbers  1,200. 

As  proof  of  the  private  enterprise  of  the  business  men  of 
Sturgis  it  may  be  stated  that  during  the  year  1898,  nine 
stone  business  blocks  were  erected  along  the  main  business 
street  of  the  cit3\  The  old  frame  buildings  that  have 
served  their  purposes  for  years,  and  outlived  their  useful- 
ness, are  being  from  time  to  time  torn  down,  or  moved  to 
other  sites,  and  in  their  stead  massive,  substantial  stone 
structures  rear  their  imposing  fronts,  forcibly  reminding 
one  that  old  things  are  rapidly  receding  into  the  misty  past. 

Its  advantages  of  location,  pure  water,  and  healthful 
climate  has  predestined  Sturgis  to  a  large  measure  of 
success.  Its  situation  at  the  point  of  convergence  of  all  the 
important  roadways,  leading  to  the  rich  agricultural  dis- 
tricts, which  make  it  their  market  and  base  of  supplies; 
its  close  proximity  to  Fort  Meade,  from  which  it  draws  an 
extensive  trade  ;  its  direct  railway  and  telegraphic  con- 
nection with  the  great  trade  centers  of  the  East,  and  its 
speaking  communication  by  telephone  with  the  principal 
towns  of  the  Hills,  insure  its  continued  prosperity  and  per- 
manency. 

Sturgis,  too,  by  the  way,  has  had  its  era  of  disorder, 
crime,  and  speedy  retribution.  During  the  first  decade  of 
its  history,  it  was  by  no  means  a  shining  example  of 
morality  and  good  order.  According  to  its  own  confession 
it  has  frequently  presented  scenes  of  mad  recklessness  that 
outrivaled  in  lawlessness  even  the  worst  days  of  the 
early  mining  camps  of  the  Hills.  These  conditions  were 
occasioned  in  good  part  by   the    riotous  behavior  of    the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAILS. 


029 


colored  infantry  men,  who  garrisoned  Fort  Meade  at  the 
time.  Whisky  tlowed  like  water,  and  whenever  they  vis- 
ited the  town,  on  leave  of  absence,  after  imbibing  copious 
draughts  of  the  fiery  fluid,  they  proceeded  to  paint  Main 
street  in  all  sorts  of  lurid  colors,  as  if  they  were  its  sole 
proprietors. 


ROUGH   RIDERS   LEAVING   STURGIS   FOR  CUBA   ON    MAY   23d,    1898. 


Frequent  collisions  occurred  between  these  black  soldiers 
and  the  all-round  white  toughs  who  sometimes  inflicted 
their  unwelcome  presence  upon  the  community,  resulting 
in  black  eyes,  cut  faces,  and  bruised  anatomies  generally. 
Sometimes  meu  were  held  up  and  robbed  iu  the  public  street 
at  the  muzzle  of  six-shooters,  and  sometimes  unoffending 
men  were  shot  to  death  under  the  shelter  of  their  own 
roofs,  and  the  officers  of  the  law  had  much  difficulty  in  pre- 
serving even  a  semblance  of  good  order.  Sometimes  the 
exasperated  citizens  took  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  and 
meted  out   swift  punishment    to    the  wretched,  trembling 


630  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

culprits.  These  carnivals  of  disorder  usually  occurred  just 
after  pay-day  at  the  post,  but  the  colored  soldiers  were  not 
uniformly  the  guilty  ones,  which  the  following  will  serve 
to  illustrate. 

One  evening  in  June,  1884,  an  inoffensive  German, 
named  Schramm,  was  held  up  in  the  public  street,  and 
robbed  of  $350.00,  all  he  had  in  the  world,  by  two  soldiers 
and  a  civilian  named  Fiddler,  if  a  desperado  can  be  called  a 
civilian. 

The  three  highwaymen  were  hunted  down  by  a  special 
deputy  and  a  posse  of  citizens,  among  whom  were  Wm. 
McMillan,  John  Scollard  and  others,  and  taken  before 
Justice  O.  W.  Jewett,  who,  after  an  examination,  discharged 
the  two  soldiers,  but  held  Fiddler  for  the  crime.  He  was 
lodged  in  jail,  from  which  he  was  taken,  under  cover  of 
the  third  night  following,  by  a  band  of  masked  men  and 
suspended  from  the  limb  of  a  near-by  tree. 

On  August  28th,  1885,  a  colored  soldier  wantonly  fired 
into  the  drug  store  of  Dr.  H.  P.  Lynch,  shooting  and  killing 
him  instantly.  The  ne.\t  night  he  also  was  taken  from  the 
custody  of  the  guards,  by  a  number  of  masked  men,  and 
dragged  away  to  the  western  limits  of  the  city.  The  next 
mornino:  he  was  found  hanging  stark  from  the  limb  of  a 
tree,  that  stood  within  a  short  distance  of  the  Elkhorn 
Station.  In  the  following  month  a  squad  of  riotous  col- 
ored soldiers  while  raising  pandemonium,  by  tiring  their 
revolvers  in  at  the  doors  and  windows  of  respectable  busi- 
ness men,  shot  and  killed  a  man  named  Bell.  Five  of  the 
rioters,  after  preliminary  trial,  were  taken  to  Deadwood 
and  placed  in  jail,  from  which  before  tiiial  trial  they  broke 
away  and  made  good  their  escape. 

In  1887  this  deplorable  state  of  things  was  reduced  to  a 
minimum,  by  the  removal  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Colored  In- 
fantry and  the  substitution  of  four  companies  of  the  Third 
Infantry  in  their  stead. 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THE  DAKOTAHS.     631 


CHAPTER    XLI. 

FORT   MEADE. 

By  order  of  Gen.  Sheridan,  issued  in  response  to  numer- 
ous appeals  of  the  settlers  of  the  Hills  for  military  protec- 
tion against  persistent  Indian  depredations,  a  temporary 
United  States  military  camp  was  established  on  Spring  creek 
a  little  north  of  Bear  Butte,  in  August,  1876,  and  named 
Camp  Sturgis,  in  honor  of  the  gallant  Lieut.  J.  G.  Stur- 
gis,  or  "Jack  Sturgis,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called  by  his 
comrades,  who  fought  and  fell  with  Custer  on  the  hills 
overlooking  the  Little  Big  Horn.  During  the  occupation 
of  this  camp,  the  present  site  of  Fort  Meade,  situated  just 
outside  the  eastern  foot-hills  of  the  Black  Hills,  and  on  the 
south  side  of  Bear  Butte  creek,  was  selected  and  located 
as  a  permanent  United  States  military  post,  which  was 
established  and  garrisoned  on  the  31st  of  August,  1878. 

It  is  alleged  by  some,  that  the  post  was  first  called 
"  Camp  Ruhlen,"  but  why  it  was  so  called,  and,  above  all, 
why  a  permanent  military  post  should  have  been  called  a 
-"  camp  "  at  all  is  not  apparent.  If  the  allegation  is  well 
founded,  it  must  have  been  done  without  authority,  as  the 
post  was  soon  by  order  of  the  Department  named  Fort 
Meade,  in  honor  of  Gen.  George  C.  Meade,  the  brave  com- 
mander of  the  Union  forces  at  the  deciding  battle  of  the 
Civil  War  —  Gettysburg. 

The  work  of  building  the  post,  for  which  an  appropria- 
tion of  $100,000.00  had  been  made,  was  begun  on  August 
28th,  1878,  and  completed  in  August,  1879.  The  original 
appropriation  not  proving  sufficient  to  meet  the  cost  of 
the  necessary  buildings  an  additional  appropriation  of 
$11,000,  and  later  a  special  appropriation  of  $13,000,  was 
made  for  post  hospital. 


632  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

On  the  18th  of  December,  1878,  the  Fort  Meade  milittuy 
reservation,  comprising  an  area  of  a  little  more  than 
twelve  square  miles,  was  declared,  and  perhaps  no  more 
desirable  location  for  a  military  post  could  have  been 
found  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  Uncle  Sam's 
domain.  From  a  military  standpoint,  the  site  is  admirable. 
On  three  sides  the  encircling  hills  form  a  spacious  amphi- 
theater which  embraces  an  extensive  plat  for  parade 
ground,  smooth  and  level  as  a  floor,  affording  ample  space 
for  all  kinds  of  military  maneuvers  required  by  army 
discipline.  This  with  the  exhilarating  health-giving  atmos- 
phere, in  which  malaria  finds  no  foot-hold,  the  abundance 
of  pure  water,  in  which  fever-breeding  germs  cannot  exist, 
the  plentiful  supply  of  pine  timber  for  fuel  near  at  hand, 
and  the  attractiveness  of  its  scenic  environment,  combine 
to  render  the  location  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  require- 
ments of  a  military  post. 

According  to  information  obtained  from  an  officer  in  the 
Eighth  Cavalry  Regiment,  Fort  Meade  has  been  garrisoned, 
since  its  occupation,  as  follows:  — 

The  original  garrison  consisted  of  troops  E  and  M, 
Seventh  Cavalry,  and  companies  F  and  K,  First  Infantry, 
with  Major  H.  M.  Lazelle,  of  First  United  States  Infantry, 
in  command.  In  June,  1879,  the  garrison  was  reinforced 
by  the  arrival  of  band  and  troops  C  and  G,  Seventh  Cavalry, 
and  on  July  10th,  1879,  by  troops  A  and  H,  Seventh  Cav- 
alry, at  which  time  Col.  S.  D.  Sturgis  assumed  command 
of  the  post.  On  September,  1879,  Companies  D  and  H, 
First  Infantry,  from  Fort  Sully,  joined,  increasing  the 
garrison  to  four  companies  of  infantry  and  six  troops  of 
cavalry. 

On  May  13th,  1880,  companies  D,  F,  H,  and  K,  left  for 
Texas,  and  were  replaced  by  Companies  A,  D,  H,  and  K, 
Twenty-fifth  Infantry  (colored),  with  Capt.  D.  D.  Van 
Valzah, Twenty-fifth  Infantry,  in  temporary  command, Col. 
Sturgis  being  absent  on  leave.  On  May  19th,  1881,  Col. 
Sturgis  resumed  command,  but  relinquished  in  June,  going 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  G33 

to  Washington,  D.  C,  to  take  charge  of  the  Soldiers' 
Home.  From  that  time  the  post  was  commanded  succes- 
sively by  Capt.  Van  Vajzah,  Twenty-fifth  Infantry,  Major 
Edward  Ball,  Seventh  Cavalry,  and  Col.  Joseph  G.  Tilford, 
Seventh  Cavalry,  until  about  1886,  when  Gen.  Geo.  W. 
Forsyth  was  assigned  to  the  command  and  remained  until 
June,  1888. 

In  1887  the  four  companies  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Infantry 
were  replaced  by  four  companies  of  Third  Infantry.  In 
June,  1888,  the  Seventh  Cavalry  Regiment  was  sent  to 
Fort  Riley,  Kansas,  and  the  Third  Infantry  to  some 
other  point,  when  the  post  was  regarrisoned  by  the  Eighth 
Cavalry  Regiment,  consisting  of  eight  troops  under  the 
command  of  Col.  Elmer  Otis.  In  January,  1891,  Col.  Otis 
was  superseded  by  Col.  C.  H.  Carleton,  who  was  retired 
from  active  service  in  June,  1897,  when  Col.  John  M.  Bacon 
took  command  of  the  garrison. 

Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  Spanish-American  war, 
Col.  Bacon  was  ordered  to  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  leaving  the 
post  in  charge  of  Major  Robt.  McGregfor.  Pending  the 
war,  the  Eighth  Cavalry  Regiment,  which  had  occupied  the 
post  for  ten  years,  was  broken  and  scattered,  the  last  troops 
leaving  on  October  6th,  1898,  for  Huntsville,  Alabama, 
whence  they  are  to  be  sent  to  join  the  army  of  occupation 
in  Cuba.  The  present  garrison,  October  7th,  1898,  con- 
sists of  two  troops  of  the  First  United  States  Cavalry,  fresh 
from  the  gory  battle-fields  of  San  Juan  Hill  and  El  Caney. 

Fort  Meade  has  quarters  and  building  accommodations 
for  a  regiment  of  ten  full  troops  of  cavalry,  and  as  it  is 
regarded,  from  a  strategic  standpoint,  as  the  most  impor- 
tant inland  military  post  in  the  whole  War  Department, 
it  will,  doubtless,  be  increased  to  its  full  capacity,  and 
maintained  for  many  years  to  come,  or  so  long  at  least,  as 
the  government  feels  it  necessary  to  keep  a  watchful  eye  and 
a  restraining  hand  over  the  numerous  bands  of  untamed, 
it  might  be  said,  almost  untamable,  Indians,  partitioned  oft' 
amons:  the  various  reservations  of  the  Northwest. 


€34  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

The  present  post  buildings  consist  of  twenty-five  sets 
officers'  quarters,  four  double  sets  barracks,  two  single  sets 
barracks,  adjutant's  office,  quartermaster's  office,  guard 
house,  officers  of  the  guard  room,  two  quartermaster's 
store  houses,  one  commissary,  one  set  band  quarters,  post 
exchange,  one  granary,  nine  stables,  one  quartermaster's 
stable,  new  hospital  of  two  wards,  built  in  1896;  chapel, 
schoolhouse,  post  office,  post  hall,  library,  ordnance  store 
house,  powder  magazine,  one  bakery,  two  ice  houses,  one 
saw  mill,  one  steward  house,  and  a  beautifully  located 
post  cemetery  fenced  in. 

The  history  of  Fort  Meade  would  be  incomplete  without 
a  brief  sketch  of  the  brave  "Comanche,"  for  ten  years 
an  honored  resident  of  the  post.  Comanche  bore  the 
gallant  Capt.  Keogh  to  the  fatal  battle  field  on  the  bluffs 
overlooking  the  Little  Big  Horn  on  the  25Lh  of  June,  1876, 
and  two  days  and  nights  after  the  batlle  he  was  found 
standing  in  a  creek,  badly  riddled  by  Indian  bullets,  by 
some  of  Reno's  men,  patiently  waiting  and  mutely  plead- 
ing for  relief. 

Tlje  condition  of  the  poor  creature  seemed  so  hopeless, 
that  the  first  impulse  of  the  men  was  to  shoot  him  and 
end  his  terrible  suffering,  but  upon  second  thought  they 
determined,  if  possible,  to  save  his  life.  He  was  taken  to 
Fort  Lincoln,  and  after  weeks  of  tender  nursing  and 
sjiillful  treatment  he  recovered. 

In  April,  1878,  Gen.  Sturgis  issued  the  follovving  humane 
order:  "  Headquarters  Seventh  United  States  Cavalry,  Fort 
A.  Lincoln,  D.  T.,  April  10th,  1878.  General  Orders  No. 
7.  (1.)  The  horse  known  as  'Comanche,'  being  the 
only  living  representative  of  the  bloody  tragedy  of  the 
Little  Big  Horn,  June  25th,  1876,  his  kind  treatment  and 
comfort  shall  be  a  matter  of  special  pride  and  solicitude 
on  the  part  of  every  member  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry  to 
the  end  that  his  life  be  preserved  to  the  utmost  limit. 
Wounded  and  scarred  as  he  is,  his  very  existence  speaks  in 
terms  more  eloquent  than  words,  of  the  desperate  struggle 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    UAKOTAHS. 


635 


figainst  overwhelming  numbers  of  the  hopeless  conflict  and 
Ihe  heroic  manner  in  which  all  went  down  on  that  fatal 
day.  (2,)  The  commanding  officer  of  Company  I  will  see 
that  a  special  and  comfortable  stable  is  fitted  up  for  him, 
and  he  will  not  be  ridden  l)y  any  person  whatsoever,  under 
an^^  circumstances,  nor  will  he  be  put  to  any  kind  of  work. 
(3.)  Hereafter,  upon  all  occasions  of  ceremony  of  mounted 
regimental  formation,  '  Comanche,'  saddled,  bridled,  and 
draped   in    mourning,   and    led    by  a   mounted  troo))er  of 


*'  COMANCHE," 

Found  standing  in  a  creek  near  the  Custer  battle-field  badly  riddled  by 
Indian  bullets. 

Company  I,  will  be  paraded  with  the  regiment.  By  com- 
mand of  Col.  Sturgis,  E.  A.  Garlington,  First  Lieutenant 
and  Adjutant,  Seventh  Cavalry." 

In  June,  1879,  '  Comanche  '  was  brougiit  to  Fort  Meade 
by  the  Seventh  Regiment,  where  he  was  kept  like  a  prince 
until  1888,  when  he  was  taken  to  Fort  Riley,  Kansas, 
M'here  a  few  years  since  he  died,  and  was  buried  with 
military  honors. 

TILFORD. 

Tilford,  situated  in  the  eastern  foot-hills,  on  a  tributary 
■of  Elk  creek,  was  laid  out  by  an  organization,  known  as  the 


636  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OR, 

Pioneer  Town-site  Company,  on  January  12th,  1888,  about 
the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  Fremont,  Eliihoru  &  Missouri 
Valley  K.  R.  at  that  point.  The  settlers  had  great  hope& 
and  expectations  for  the  future  of  their  town,  which  were 
destined  to  be  shattered.  It  was  first  designated  as  the 
point  of  connection  of  the  Homestake  Narrow-gauge  Rail- 
way from  Lead,  with  the  "  Elkhorn  "  road,  but  for  some 
reason  the  original  plan  was  changed,  and  its  railroad 
neighbor  on  the  south  was  made  the  point  of  junction. 

In  1890,  when  the  election  was  held  for  locating  the 
county  seat  of  Meade  County,  Tilford  made  a  creditable 
run  for  the  honor,  but  was  defeated.  However,  des[)ite 
its  defeat,  it  is  quite  a  lively  little  hamlet.  The  town  is 
surrounded  by  an  excellent  farming  and  grazing  country, 
in  which  former  vocation  a  number  of  the  residents  of  Til- 
ford  are  profitably  engaged.  In  the  hills  adjacent  thereto 
on  the  west  is  an  abundance  of  good  pine  timber,  which  is 
being  rapidly  converted  into  lumber,  which  finds  a  ready 
market  at  its  door. 

PIEDMONT. 

Piedmont,  situated  on  Elk  creek,  at  the  point  where  it 
debouches  from  the  foot-hills  into  the  open  plains,  about 
five  miles  south  of  Tilford,  on  the  line  of  the  Fremont  & 
Elkhorn  Railroad,  was  located  as  Piedmont  in  the  late 
winter  of  1887-8,  upon  the  arrival  of  the  road  at  that 
point.  At  a  much  earlier  date,  however, — 3'ears  before  a 
railroad  was  projected  into  the  Bhick  Hills,  while  the  Indians 
were  yet  on  the  rampage,  the  ground,  upon  a  portion  of 
which  the  town  now  stands,  was  located  as  a  ranch,  widely 
known  as  "  Spring  Valley  "  ranch.  All  through  the  days 
of  overland  freighting,  stage  coaches,  and  "  hold-ups," 
Spring  Valley  ranch  was  an  important  station  along  the 
line,  from  Sidney  and  other  points  to  Deadwood,  where 
entertainment  was  furnished  for  man  and  beast,  and  was^ 
also  a  mail  distributing  point  for  settlers,  within  a  limited 
radius  of  the  station. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    TIIK    DAKOTAHS. 


637 


The    ground,    which    was    originally    located    by    Mark 
Bouo-hton  —  not  the  Mark  Boughton  of  early  saw-mill  noto- 


nORSESHOE   CURVE,    ON   THE   FORT   PIERRE    RAILROAD,    RUNNING 
BETWEEN    LEAD    AND    PIEDMONT. 

riety— Geo.  Adler,  a  Mr.  Garvey,  and  a- man  whose  name 
is  forgotten,  was,  and  is  still,  considered  one  of  the  most 
valuable  ranch  properties  in  the  Black  Hills.     The  name 


638  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

was  suggested  by  the  multitude  of  pure,  cold,  crystal 
springs  which  gurgle  up  from  the  depths  below,  causing 
the  soil  to  yield  its  perfect  crops  and  luscious  fruitage, 
and  keeping  the  meadows  in  a  state  of  almost  perpetual 
verdure.  It  is  now  recalled  that  one  bright  morning  ai 
tragedy  occurred  on  this  ranch  in  which  the  green  of  the 
meadow  was  crimsoned  with  the  blood  of  one  of  its  owners. 
In  a  quarrel  Geo.  Adler  was  shot  to  death  by  his  copartner 
Garvey,  it  is  believed  in  self-defense,  as  he  was  acquitted 
after  trial  by  a  jury  of  his  peers. 

Piedmont,  because  of  its  location  at  the  junction  with 
the  Elkhorn  of  the  Fort  Pierre  narrow-gauge  railway,  over 
which  nearly  all  the  commercial  traffic  of  the  Homestake 
Company  is  carried,  is  the  most  important  station  between 
Rapid  City  and  Sturgis.  Here  are  the  homes  of  a  con- 
siderable number  of  the  company's  employees,  who  are 
engaged  along  the  line  of  the  road,  and  here  the  company 
conducts  a  large  brick  store,  requiring  the  emplo3'ment  of 
several  clerks  to  fill  the  demands  of  an  extensive  trade,  and 
a  boarding  house.  Besides  the  Horaestake  enterprises. 
Piedmont  sustains  a  store  of  general  merchandise,  one 
hotel,  a  neat  church  edifice,  and  contains  a  population  of 
about  300. 

Many  tourists  are  attracted  to  Piedmont  every  year  to 
take  a  trip  over  the  wonderful  Fort  Pierre  road  to  Lead 
which,  once  taken,  remains  a  memory  forever.  Some  of 
the  grandest  and  most  picturesque  scenery  in  all  the  mar- 
velous region  of  the  Black  Hills  is  to  be  found  along  this 
line,  views  which  are  well  worth  taking  a  long  journey  to 
see.  The  most  notable  attraction,  however,  is  the  Crystal 
Cave,  on  Elk  creek,  a  few  miles  above  Piedmont.  The 
writer  has  never  ventured  beyond  the  portal  of  the  natural 
cave,  but  visited  its  faint  reproduction  at  the  World's  Fair 
in  1893,  and  its  various  chambers,  gorgeous  with  brilliant 
crystalline  incrustations,  presented  a  picture  which  lingers 
in  the  memory  still.  According  to  the  testimony  of  tour- 
ists and  others  who  have  explored  its  passages  in  all  their 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS, 


63^ 


ramifications,  for  a  distance  of  fifteen  or  more  miles,  few 
of  the  natural  attractions  of  the  Hills  are  better  worth 
visitincr.  A  peculiar  feature  of  the  cave  is  a  number  of 
miniature  lakes,  six  or  eight  feet  deep,  filled  with  water  so 
transparent,  that  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  the  bottom  is 
more  than  a  few  inches  below  the  surface. 

BLACK    HAWK. 

Black  Hawk,  also   on  the  line  of  the  Elkhorn  Railway, 
near   the   southern  limits  of  the  county,  about  seven  miles 
north  of  Rapid  City,  was  located  and  platted  by  Mr.  C.  F. 
and    Mrs.  Cornelia    Ward,  on    December    21st,   1887.     It 
attained  but  little  importance  until  1896,  when  the  estab- 
lishment of   an  extensive  lumber  manufactory  by  Baker  & 
Price  brou<rht  it  into  considerable  promineuce.     The  plant 
which   has   brought   Black   Hawk  to  the  fore,  consists  of  a 
larce  saw  mill  and  planing  mill,  with  the  adjunct  of  an  ex- 
tensive  wood  yard,   requiring   the  employment  of  a  large 
force  of   men.     The   company   also  operates  two  or  three 
.aw  mills,  in  the  timbered  region  adjacent  to  the  town,  to 
which  the  manufactured  lumber  is  brought  for  shipment. 
In  connection  with  the  industry  the   company  has   estab- 
lished a   boarding  house  and  a  large  store  of  general  mer- 
chandise  to    supply   the   demands    of    its  employees.     In 
consequence    of    this    lumber    manufacturing    enterprise, 
Black  Hawk  has  been  transformed  from  a  secluded  railway 
station  containing  a  post  office,  a  school,  and  a  small  store 
of  general  merchandise,  into  quite  an  important  mdustrial 

The'  other  points  of  more  or  less  importance  where  post 
offices  are  maintained  are  :  Grashul,  Bend    and  V.ewfielcl 
on  Elk  creek,  Smithville,  on  the  sonth  fork  of  the  Cheyenne 
river    Doyle,  Eunkel,  Alkali,  Big  Bottom,  Elm  Springs. 


640  THE    BLACK    HILLS:     OR, 


CHAPTER     XLII. 

FALL   RIVER   COUNTY. 

Fall  River  County,  situated  in  the  extreme  soulhwesteni 
portion  of  the  Black  Hills,  dates  its  origin  back  to  1883, 
and  derives  its  name  from  one  of  the  county's  most 
important  streams.  Prior  to  that  date  the  territory 
embraced  within  its  boundaries  constituted  a  part  of  the 
original  county  of  Custer,  as  nearly  everyone  in  the  Black 
Hills  doubtless  already  knows,  but  all  may  not  know  just 
why  and  how  it  asserted  itself  and  became  a  separate 
organization,  endowed  with  all  the  functions  of  individual 
county  government. 

The  people  of  the  southern  i)ortion  of  Custer  County, 
like  those  of  the  eastern  half  of  the  original  county  of 
Lawrence,  six  years  later  l)ecame  no  longer  willing  to 
travel  eighty  miles  over  hill  and  dale,  through  bush  and 
bracken,  to  attend  terms  of  court  whenever  called  upon  to 
serve  as  witnesses  or  jurors;  and,  moreover,  being  essen- 
tially an  agricultural  and  stock-raising  class,  they  were  not 
especialh^  interested  in  mines  and  mining;  hence,  when 
the  requisite  population  was  acquired,  they  took  immediate 
steps  to  bring  about  a  separation.  Reversing  the  old 
adage,  they  adopted  the  motto  of  *'  Divided  we  stand, 
united  we  fall." 

The  friends  of  the  measure  succeeded  in  securing  the 
passage  of  a  bill  through  the  Territorial  Legislature,  at  its 
session  of  1883,  by  the  provisions  of  which  Custer  County 
was  divided  on  a  line  running  due  east  and  west  near  its 
geographical  center,  and  the  southern  subdivision  created 
into  Fall  River  County  ;  and  henceforth  the  two  sections 
traveled  divergent  paths.  The  act  became  a  law  on  March 
6th,  1883,  and  on  November  17th  of  that  year  Gov.  Ord- 
way,  of  Dakota  Territory,  issued  a  commission  to  Elisha  P. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  641 

Chilson,  Wm.  P.  Phillips,  and  Edmund  Petty,  to  organize 
and  construct  a  county  government  for  the  new  county. 
The  commissioners  at  their  first  session  fixed  the  temporary 
county  seat  at  Hot  Springs,  which  was  made  the  permanent 
capital  by  popular  vote  at  the  next  general  election. 

Besides  the  commissioners,  the  other  first  county  oflicers 
were :  James  A.  Shepard,  Sheriif ;  Joseph  Petty,  Treas- 
urer; Geo.  A.  Turner,  Register  of  Deeds  and  ex  officio 
County  Clerk;  John  Wells,  Probate  Judge;  Dr.  R.  D. 
Jennings,  County  Surveyor;  Gifford  A.  Parker,  Asses- 
sor; George  Trimmer,  Coroner;  Wm.  Wells,  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools. 

Fall  River  County,  it  appears,  had  no  auditor  until  Jan- 
uary, 1891,  when  J.  M.  Moore  assumed  the  office,  having 
been  elected  to  that  position  at  the  November  election  of 
1890. 

As  soon  as  the  wheels  of  the  county  machinery  were  put 
in  operation,  the  commissioners  turned  their  attention  to 
the  matter  of  county  internal  improvements.  Notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  the  young  county  was  incumbered 
with  its  proportion  of  Custer  County's  six  years'  accumu- 
lation of  indebtedness,  inasmuch  as  it  possessed  abundant 
material  resources,  and  an  enterprising,  progressive  people, 
who  were  willing;  to  bear  the  burden  of  additional  taxation, 
considerable  expenditures  were  made  in  the  construction  of 
such  roads  and  bridges  as  would  render  the  county  seat 
easily  accessible  to  all  settlers  within  the  county  domain. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  few  years,  the  people  of  the  county 
voted  to  issue  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $25,000  for  the  pur- 
pose of  providing  funds  for  building  a  new  courthouse, 
and,  in  1890,  a  court  building  was  completed,  which,  in 
point  of  external  architecture,  beauty  of  material,  and  in- 
ternal finish,  was  the  most  elaborate,  as  well  as  the  most 
costly,  that  had  been  constructed  in  the  Black  Hills.  It  is 
an  imposing  three-storied  structure,  built  up  from  base  to 
pediment  of  native  white  sandstone,  —  some  call  it  pink, 
surmounted  by  a  handsome   ornamental  tower,  and  stands 

41 


642  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

in  seemingly  conscious  dignity  and  pride,  a  little  above 
where  the  hills  entrench  upon  the  border  of  the  stream 
near  the  northern  limits  of  the  capital  city. 

The  territory  of  Fall  River  County  comprises  an  area  of 
nearly  1,037,000  acres,  about  two-thirds  of  which  may 
properly  be  divided  into  arable  and  grazing  land,  the  resi- 
due consisting  of  rugged  hills,  covered  for  the  most  part 
with  heavy  pine  timber.  The  southern  portion  lying  along 
the  Cheyenne  river  and  extending  south  to  the  northern 
boundary  line  of  the  State  of  Nebraska,  is  peculiarly 
adapted  to  stock-raising,  large  herds  of  cattle  and  horses 
feeding  all  the  year  round  on  its  rich  grasses  without  other 
sustenance. 

The  principal  streams  draining  the  area  are  the  south 
fork  of  the  Big  Cheyenne  river,  which  traverses  the  county 
from  its  western  to  its  northeastern  boundary  line,  and  its 
tributaries.  Fall  river  and  Beaver  creek  on  the  north,  and 
Horsehead  and  Hat  creeks  on  the  south. 

Fall  river,  which  derives  its  name  from  the  rapidity  of 
its  descent,  is  fed  by  the  aggregate  waters  of  Hotbrook 
and  Coldbrook,  its  two  affluents,  and  the  surplus  waters  of 
the  many  never- failing  springs  along  the  narrow  valley, 
and  carries  a  large  volume  of  water  to  the  Cheyenne  river 
at  all  seasons  of  the  year  without  material  diminution. 

According  to  the  statistics  of  1897,  a  considerable  pro- 
portion of  the  whole  acreage  of  Fall  River  County  is  still 
open  to  settlement,  much  of  which  is  as  desirable  as  any 
land  to  be  found  in  any  other  portion  of  the  Hills.  In  the 
year  1897  there  were  128,767  acres  of  land  assessed  at  a 
valuation  of  $390,371.00;  8,726  cattle,  at  $89,186.00; 
3,979  horses,  at  $53,701.00;  6,224  sheep  at  $6,679.00; 
and  other  stock  at  $1,099.00,  making  a  total  assessed  valu- 
ation for  the  county  of  $541,046.00.  The  population  of 
the  county  for  the  same  year  was  5,500  approximately. 

THERMAL    SPRINGS. 

From  a  scientific  standpoint,  a  portion  of  Fall  River 
County    is,   perhaps,  the    most    remarkable   region  in  the 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  043 

entire  Black  Hills,  and  offers  a  most  inviting  and  instruc- 
tive field  to  the  student  for  geological  and  chemical  re- 
search. Its  most  peculiar  and  interesting  Features  are  the 
groups  of  phenomenal  springs,  whose  wonderful  curative 
properties  have  made  them  already  justly  celebrated 
throughout  the  land.  Their  thermal  waters,  clear  as 
crystal,  issue  forth  from  clefts  in  the  solid  rocks,  but 
primarily,  it  is  believed,  come  bubbling  up  from  nature's 
heated  chemical  laboratory,  away  down  somewhere  toward 
the  Celestial  empire,  forming  numerous  copious  springs,  in 
whose  limpid  waters  the  rheumatic,  the  dyspeptic,  the 
neuralgic,  the  sciatic,  the  hypochondriac,  and  the  hysterical 
may  lave,  and  aided  by  frequent  generous  draughts  of  the 
tepid  fluid,  be  made  whole.  It  may  be  stated,  en  passant , 
that  at  first  the  beverage  is  not  the  most  palatable  in  the 
world,  but  after  several  dekaliters  each  day  for  a  week 
have  been  quaffed,  one  becomes  accustoqjed  to  it  and  will 
want  to  increase  the  dose. 

The  temperature  of  the  water  of  these  springs,  of  which 
there  are  several,  is  said  to  range  from  ninety-six  to  ninety- 
eiiiht  degrees  Fahrenheit,  neither  too  hot  nor  too  cold  for 
bathing  purposes,  it  having  been  already  prepared  in 
nature's  dispensary  to  suit  the  temperature  of  the  human 
body.  The  medicinal  properties  of  these  springs,  all  of 
which  have  been  frequently  analyzed  by  expert  chemists, 
with  nearly  the  same  results,  are  as  follows ;  — 

CONSTITUENTS. 
Parts  per  gallon.  Grains. 

Silica 2.464 

Peroxide  of  Iron A  trace 

Calcium  Sulphate 16.325 

Magnesium 4.320 

Sodium  Sulphate,  Potassium  Sulphate 25.620 

Sodium,  Chloride,  and  Potassa 13.790 

Total 62.519 


644  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

Hundreds  of  physicians  of  high  repute  from  all  parts  of 
the  country  have  visited  these  springs  to  examine  for  them- 
selves their  medicinal  characteristics  and  have  pronounced 
them  to  be  unequaled  by  any  other  known  mineral  waters 
for  various  kinds  of  maladies,  but  more  especially  for  all 
kinds  of  rheumatic  affections.  Many  marvelous  and  well 
authenticated  cures  of  that  disease  in  its  worse  forms  are 
chronicled,  some  of  which  have  come  under  the  writer's  own 
personal  observation,  and  if  there  is  anything  under  the 
sun  in  which  she  has  implicit  and  abiding  faith,  it  is  the 
efficacy  of  the  thermal  waters  of  the  Black  Hills'  Hot 
Springs,  for  all  kinds  of  rheumatic  affections. 

Their  virtues  were  well  known  to  the  Indians,  it  appears, 
long  years  before  they  were  discovered  by  white  men. 
Time-worn  tradition,  into  whose  warp  and  woof  are  inter- 
woven many  interesting  pages  of  real  history,  says  that 
more  than  two  and  a  half  centuries  ago  the  North  American 
tribes  were  stricken  with  a  fearful  epidemic,  which  threat- 
ened to  obliterate  them  from  the  face  of  the  continent,  and 
that  many  came  from  afar  with  their  afflicted  braves,  and 
women,  and  children,  to  bathe  in  their  healing  waters. 

Finally  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  200  years,  they  were 
usurped  by  the  avaricious  Cheyennes,  but  as  to  how  this  was 
done  tradition  is  silent.  The  powerful  Sioux,  having  an 
equal  solicitous  regard  for  the  health  of  their  squaws  and 
papooses,  disputed  their  title,  which  culminated  in  the 
waging  of  a  fierce  conflict  for  their  possession.  On  the 
summit  of  a  mountain,  now  called  Battle  Mountain,  which 
stood  guard  over  them,  three  miles  to  the  eastward,  the 
battle  began.  Both  sides,  says  tradition,  fought  with 
distinguished  savage  gallantry,  and  from  behind  the  tower- 
ing rocky  battlements,  poison-tipped  arrows  flew  thick 
and  fast  from  the  bows  of  the  opposing  braves,  resulting 
in  a  sweeping  victory  for  the  valorous  Sioux,  who  obtained 
and  retained  possession  until  driven  out  of  the  Black  Hills 
by  the  superior  valor  of  the  pioneers. 

Moreover,  there  is  a  bit  of  legendary  Indian  lore  handed 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  645 

down,  which  tells  a  tragic  story.  There  was  a  Sioux  Indian 
princess,  reads  the  legend,  whose  wondrous  beauty  made 
her  the  envy  of  all  the  dusky  maidens  of  the  Sioux  tribes. 
This  royal  princess,  who  came  with  her  people  often  to 
lave  in  the  wonderful  waters,  had  plighted  her  troth  to  a 
stalwart  young  brave, — presumably  beneath  her  in  rank, 
whom  she  loved  with  all  the  fiery  ardor  of  her  race,  but 
the  unfeeling  and  ambitious  chief,  her  father,  had  selected 
one  in  whose  veins  coursed  the  blue  blood  of  generations 
of  medicine  men,  for  his  beautiful  daughter,  and  cruelly 
separated  the  young  lovers,  when  the  unhappy  maiden, 
during  one  of  their  periodical  visits  to  that  region,  threw 
herself  headlong  from  a  towering  cliff  and  was  dashed  to 
fragments  on  the  rocks  below,  leaving  her  name  — Miune- 
kahta,  as  a  heritage  to  the  springs.  Is  it  not  possible  that 
the  hero  and  heroine  of  the  awful  tragedy  were  romantic 
myths? 

Many  evidences  are  found  of  the  occupation  of  this  local- 
ity by  Indians,  but,  in  view  of  their  well-known  dread  of 
the  terrible  electric  storms  which  sometimes  sweep  over  the 
Hills,  the  forked  lightning  splintering  the  giant  pines  from 
topmost  branch  to  their  roots,  it  is  believed  their  visits  were 
of  short  duration,  and,  perchance,  for  the  most  time  they 
pitched  their  tepees  outside  the  foot-hills.  With  her  char- 
acteristic incredulity,  the  writer  also  accepts  the  tradition, 
in  as  far  as  it  relates  to  bathing,  with  a  good  many  grains 
of  skepticism.  Who  ever  saw,  or  knew,  of  an  uncivilized 
Indian  taking  a  bath?     Who,  indeed! 

True  it  is  that  there  is  to  be  seen  a  shallow,  moccasin- 
shaped  tub,  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock,  in  which  it  is  believed 
by  many,  they  immersed  themselves  in  sections  when  sick. 
Perhaps  it  was  like  this,  —  to  quote  a  bit  of  doggerel:  — 

"  The  Indian,  when  sick,  in  hot  water  will  lave. 
The  Indian,  when  well,  devil  a  bit  will  he  have." 

The  first  white  men  to  visit  the  Hot  Springs'  region  were, 
it  is  claimed  :  Col.  Dodge,  Prof.  Henry  Newton,  and  Dr. 


646  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

V.  T.  McGillicaddy,  members  of  the  Jenny  Scientific  Ex- 
pedition in  1875.  According  to  the  notes  of  Prof .  Newton, 
the  three  above-named  gentlemen,  while  on  a  tour  of 
exploration  through  the  southwestern  Hills,  during  the 
summer  of  that  year,  discovered  a  warm  spring,  which  Dr. 
McGillicuddy  at  the  time  named  Minnekahta. 

It  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  others  also,  while  hunting 
or  prospecting  for  minerals  in  their  locality,  may  have  come 
upon  these  spring  at  an  early  date,  but  it  was  left  for  Col. 
Wm.  Thornby,  now  of  Deadwood,  to  first  locate  and  bring 
them  into  public  notice.  The  history  of  their  location,  and 
the  subsequent  settlement  of  the  region  where  the  famous 
health  resort  now  stands  —  based  upon  data  obtained  from 
Col.  Thornby,  is  substantially  as  follows  :  In  June,  1879, 
Prof.  Jenny  and  Col.  Thornby,  left  Deadwood  together,  on 
horseback,  for  a  trip  through  the  southern  Hills,  the  former 
to  complete  some  unfinished  work,  began  in  1875,  the  latter 
without  other  object  apparently  than  mere  adventure. 

Their  route  took  them  through  Rapid  City  to  Rocker- 
ville  —  then  riding  on  the  crest  of  the  topmost  wave  of 
prosperity  —  thence  to  Sheridan,  where  they  met  and  were 
entertained  royally  by  some  of  the  old  miners  who  had 
escaped  from  the  dreaded  "  blue  coats,"  and  taken  refuge 
under  the  mantle  of  the  Jenny  Expedition  in  1875.  Find- 
ing no  public  accommodations  at  Hill  City  —  then  at  its 
ebb-tide,  on  reaching  that  point  they  proceeded  south,  and 
put  up  at  a  ranch  then  owned  by  L.  B.  Reno,  a  mile  below. 
During  their  stay  at  the  ranch,  it  was  incidentally  disclosed, 
that  a  ledge  of  very  rich  quartz  literally  covered  with  free 
gold  had  been  discovered  in  the  vicinity  of  "  Chimney 
Rock"  about  eight  miles  south  of  Custer,  in  1875,  by  W. 
K.  Patrick,  botanist  of  the  Jenny  Expedition.  The  next 
day  the  Professor  and  Col.  Thornby,  bent  on  finding,  if 
possible,  the  reputed  rich  ledge,  set  out  for  Custer,  which 
they  made  their  base  of  operations  pending  the  search. 

Strangely  enough  they  found  no  hostelry  at  the  pioneer 
town  and  were  forced  to  trespass  upon  the  private  hospi- 


COL.    WM.    THOKM5Y, 

Locator  of  the  famous  Minnekahta  Thermal  Spring  and  the  site  upon 
vvliich  the  celebrated  Blaclj  Hills  resort  now  stands. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  647 

tality  of  J.  C.  Saunders,  who  had  been  one  of  the  guides  of 
the  scientific  expedition  of  1875.  At  that  time,  says  Mr. 
Thornby,  Sam'l.  Booth  and  Sam.  Shankland  kept  a  store 
of  general  merchandise  at  Custer,  which  then  contained  a 
population  of  ten  souls,  exclusive  of  a  few  miners  who  were 
camping  within  the  limits  of  the  town.  "  How  had  the 
mighty  fallen  !" 

Bright  and  early  the  next  morning  they  started  out  in 
search  of  the  "  lost  mine,"  returning  at  night  with  a  large 
sack  filled  with  the  most  promising  samples  of  white  quartz 
to  be  found  in  the  region  round  about  "  Chimney  Rock." 
Providing  themselves  with  pan  and  mortar,  they  repaired 
to  French  creek,  where  the  next  day  was  spent  in  pulver- 
izing and  panning  out  the  contents  of  the  sack,  without 
raising  a  sinffle  color.  A  continued  and  more  extended 
research  on  the  following  day  was  attended  with  like  results. 
Similar  white  quartz,  glittering  with  gold,  was  brought  into 
Custer  by  Alfred  Gay  in  1876,  causing  intense  excitement, 
and  what  is  most  remarkable,  he  was  never  able  to  locate 
the  mine  afterwards. 

During  their  stay  in  Custer,  they  met  N.  H.  Ross,  one 
of  the  miners  of  the  Custer  Expedition  of  1874,  who  told 
them  of  some  warm  springs  he  had  encountered  while  on  a 
hunting  trip  through  the  southern  Hills,  when  they  decided 
to  go  at  once  and  explore  the  region  for  themselves.         , 

Of  the  trip,  the  location  of  the  springs  and  the  conse- 
quent settlement  of  that  region  of  the  Hills,  Col.  Thornby 
very  entertainingly  says:  — 

"  We  determined  to  explore  that  region  and  arose  at  four 
o'clock  one  morning,  had  lunches  put  up,  and  started. 
We  went  by  the  way  of  the  Point  of  Rocks,  where  there  is 
now  a  station  on  the  Burlington  road  called  Pringle.  From 
this  point  we  took  an  old  Indian  trail  along  the  divide 
towards  Buffalo  Gap,  for  six  or  seven  miles,  and  passed 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  now  famous  Wind  Cave. 
We  then  took  a  direct  course  toward  Battle  Mountain,  and 
first  reached  what  is  now  known  as  Fall  river,  at  a  point 


648  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

where  the  F.  E.  &  M.  V.  depot  now  stands.  We  watered 
our  horses,  staked  them  out,  took  a  bath,  and  ate  our 
lunches.  After  hunting  an  hour  or  so  at  that  point,  we 
started  on  horseback  up  the  stream,  and  when  we  reached 
the  point  where  the  Evans  Hotel  now  stands,  we  found  a 
pretty  brook  flowing  down  what  is  now  graded  as  Minne- 
kahta  avenue.  It  was  a  warm  day,  we  had  been  drinking 
the  tepid  water  from  the  creek,  and  the  sight  of  the  bright, 
sparkling  water  of  the  brook  was  tempting.  Prof.  Jenny 
had  a  telescope  gutta  percha  drinking  cup  with  him,  and, 
dismounting,  I  asked  him  for  the  cup,  saying  I  would  hand 
him  some  of  the  water,  which  looked  so  fresh  and  cool. 
To  my  surprise,  I  found  it  warmer  than  the  water  of  the 
creek.  We  followed  up  this  little  stream  to  where  the 
Minnekahta  bath  house  was  afterwards  built,  and 
where  the  famous  spring  boils  out  of  the  rock.  At 
that  time  it  was  a  virgin  spring,  and  I  do  not  think  it 
had  been  disturbed  by  a  human  being,  not  excepting  the 
Indians.  It  was  covered  with  frog  spawn,  and  was  about 
six  or  seven  feet  in  diameter.  I  cleared  away  the  frog 
spawn,  and  the  professor  and  I  dipped  our  hands  in  it. 
It  seemed  to  me  at  that  time  to  be  almost  at  the  boiling 
temperature,  and  much  warmer  than  it  is  now.  I  was  very 
much  taken  with  the  spring,  and  with  a  hatchet  I  chopped 
opf  the  top  of  a  cedar  tree,  blazed  it  on  both  sides,  and 
wrote  on  the  tree:  "I  claim  this  spring."  Prof.  Jenny 
prophesied  that  some  day  the  spring  would  be  valuable. 
At  this  time  the  nearest  habitation  to  the  spring  was  Geo." 
Boland's  ranch  at  Buffalo  Gap,  twelve  miles  distant. 

*'  It  was  about  two  o'clock  when  we  left  this  spring,  now 
named  the  «  Minnekahta  '  spring,  and  we  took  a  different 
course  back,  coming  up  what  is  called  Hotbrook  canyon, 
until  we  struck  the  Holman  cut-off  road,  running  from 
Custer  to  Fort  Robinson,  crossing  near  what  is  now 
Minnekahta  junction,  on  the  Burlington  road.  At  this 
point  I  saw  the  first  herd  of  elks  I  had  ever  seen.  It  being 
in  the  spring  of  the  year,  they  had  shed  their  antlers,  and 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  649 

I  remarked  to  the  professor:  '  There's  a  herd  of  mules.' 
From  here  we  journeyed  along  a  good  road  to  Custer, 
reaching  there  about  7  :30  in  the  evening. 

"  After  remaining  at  Custer  a  day  or  two,  and  hearing 
so  much  exciting  talk  of  the  two  new  discoveries,  known  as 
the  '  Old  Bill,'  and  the  '  Grand  Junction  '  located  six  miles 
north  of  Custer,  we  started  to  investigate  that  camp.  The 
'  Old  Bill  '  locators  pounded  up  a  great  many  samples  of 
their  rock  for  the  professor,  and  it  was  marvelously  rich. 
We  then  visited  the  '  Grand  Junction,'  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  from  the  '  Old  Bill,'  and  were  shown  some  fine  pros- 
pects from  that  famous  ledge.  Prof.  Jenny  advised  me  to 
prospect  in  that  vicinity  and  locate  some  ground.  I  said  I 
would  return  to  Deadwood  with  him  ;  get  my  clothing  and 
blankets,  and  come  back  to  the  locality,  which  I  did  soon 
after.  From  the  '  Grand  Junction  '  mine,  we  cut  our  way 
through  the  brush,  down  Tenderfoot  gulch  until  we  came 
to  the  Hill  City  road,  stopping  with  Reno  &  Bond  again 
that  night.  We  gave  them  a  history  of  the  Hot  Springs 
section,  and  described  what  a  pretty  place  it  would  be  to 
locate  a  ranch.  Reno  told  me  he  would  go  down  there 
with  me  when  I  came  back.  The  next  morning  Reno 
accompanied  us  to  Hill  City  and  introduced  us  to  George 
Trimmer  and  John  Dennis,  who  were  living  in  Hill  City. 
Reno,  Trimmer,  and  Dennis  afterwards  became  three  of  the 
pioneer  residents  of  Hot  Springs. 

"  Jenny  and  I  went  from  Hill  City  up  to  Newton's  Fork, 
visiting  Rochford,  which  was  a  booming  camp  then,  and 
went  thence  to  Deadwood.  After  spending  a  few  days  in 
Deadwood,  I  packed  my  outfit,  moved  to  the  '  Grand 
Junction  '  mine,  and  built  a  cabin.  I  was  appointed  on  a 
committee  with  Dennis  McGuire  to  layout  the  town-site  of 
Junction  City.  Shortly  afterwards  I  took  a  horseback  trip 
to  George  Boland's  ranch,  at  Buffalo  Gap,  and  tried  my  best 
to  induce  him  to  go  with  me  to  locate  the  Hot  Springs. 
At  that  time  he  was  the  stage  agent  at  Buffiilo  Gap,  and 
distributing  postmaster  for  all  the  mail  that  came   into  the 


650  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

Black  Hills.  His  place  was  a  great  stopping-place  for  all 
the  emigfrants,  and  he  was  the  busiest  man  I  ever  met. 

"  The  night  I  was  at  his  place  a  peculiar  incident  occurred. 
Col.  John  B.  Fury,  Post  Office  Inspector,  with  one  of  the 
high  officials  from  Washington,  was  there,  and  he  held  the 
outgoing  stage  at  the  Gap.  While  he  was  checking  up  Boland 
in  the  Post  Office  and  the  distributing  system,  Boland  was 
busily  occupied  in  finding  stable  room  for  the  transient 
stock  and  selling  hay  and  feed  to  the  emigrants,  and  the 
W^ashington  official  became  very  indignant  because  Boland 
did  not  give  him  greater  attention.  He  started  to  repri- 
mand Boland,  when  the  latter  became  irate  and  gave  the 
Washington  dignitary  the  worst  dressing  down  I  ever  heard 
a  man  get  in  my  life.  He  wound  up  by  firing  the  Post 
Office  —  which  consisted  of  a  l)eer  case  with  twenty-four 
pigeonholes  —  out  into  the  road,  and  ordered  the  Wash- 
ington man  off  the  reservation.  It  required  all  of  Col. 
Fury's  suavity  and  persuasion  to  pacify  Boland  and  induce 
him  to  act  as  distributor  until  someone  could  be  secured  to 
take  the  place,  at  Rapid  City." 

The  Washington  official  obviously  did  not  estimate  the 
metal  of  which  the  Black  Hills  pioneers  are  made  at  its  true 
value.  If  he  had  been  forewarned  that  Uncle  Sam's  mail 
distributor  at  Buffalo  Gap  had,  with  Capt.  Gardner,  Jack 
King,  Dick  Horsford,  and  others,  fought  several  desperate 
battles  with  the  redskins  while  en  route  over  the  dangerous 
trail  from  Fort  Laramie  to  Custer  in  1876,  he  might  have 
been  more  discreet  in  his  choice  of  words. 

"  The  next  day  Boland  wrote  out  a  ranch  location  notice 
on  a  piece  of  the  box  that  had  served  as  the  post  office,  and 
I  started  with  it,  with  several  nails  and  a  hatchet,  '  armed 
to  the  teeth,'  to  locate  the  Minnekahta  spring.  I  think  it 
was  about  the  middle  of  July,  1879.  In  looking  for  the 
Minnekahta  spring,  I  found  the  spring  where  the  '  plunge 
bath  '  now  stands,  and  to  correct  some  history  and  stories 
that  have  been  published  and  told  about  Hot  Springs,  I 
will  state  this  was  the  spring  that  the  Indians  had  dug  out, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  ()0l 

and  where  they  had  bathed,  as  I  found  many  tepee  sites 
surrounding  it,  strewn  with  lodge  poles.  I  was  in  a  quan- 
dary whether  to  locate  this  spring  or  the  Minnekahta  spring, 
but  I  nailed  my  location  notice  to  the  Cedar  tree  that  I  had 
chopped  down,  while  at  the  spring  with  Jenny,  on  account  of 
the  water  being  much  warmer.  Bolund  had  instructed  me  to 
locate  the  ranch  a  half  mile  square,  and  I  put  up  one  stake 
next  to  the  cement  wall  back  of  the  site  of  the  Evans  Hotel 
as  my  eastern  boundry.  It  was  getting  late  in  the  after- 
noon, and  thinking  I  might  lose  my  way,  I  started  back  to 
Boland's  ranch  at  Buffalo  Gap.  At  that  time  there  were  no 
stakes  or  locations  upon  any  of  the  springs,  and  I  am  positive 
that  I  was  the  first  person  to  put  a  location  on  any  of  them. 

"  During  the  summer  and  fall  I  made  several  trips  to  the 
location  from  Custer,  where  I  was  staying,  —  changing  the 
date  on  the  notice  each  time,  and  reserving  thirty  days  in 
which  to  make  permanent  improvements.  Some  time  in 
August,  Reno  and  Trimmer  made  a  trip  to  the  springs  and 
lacated  the  two  ranches  where  the  old  town  now  stands, 
but,  before  the}'  made  any  improvements,  Geo.  Turner 
and  Joseph  Brunschmidt  built  a  cabin  just  above  where 
the  plunge  bath  now  stands,  in  a  cottonwood  grove,  and 
turned  some  cattle  loose.  Their  cabin  was  the  first  built 
in  that  section. 

"  I  was  elected  the  first  County  Assessor  of  Custer  County 
that  fall,  Mr.  Louis  Everly,  who  had  been  elected  the  pre- 
vious fall,  having  refused  to  qualify.  The  next  spring  1 
went  down  to  the  springs  to  assess  Turner  and  Brun- 
schmidt, accompanying  Mr.  Reno  and  Mr.  Bond.  They 
started  the  second  cabin  upon  what  afterwards  became  the 
original  town-site.  The  third  cabin  was  built  by  Geo. 
Trimmer  on  ground  now  occupied  by  his  fruit  orchard. 
John  Dennis  built  the  fourth  house  near  the  Catholicon 
spring.  During  the  summer  of  1880,  Joe  Laravie  and 
John  Davidson  came  over  from  Pine  Ridge  Agency, 
bringing  their  families  to  visit  Trimmer  and  family. 

"Laravie  was  sick  with  rheumatism,  and  Trimmer  took 


652  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

him  to  my  spring  to  bathe,  Trimmer  digging  out  the  old 
original  bath  tub. 

♦'  They  built  a  log  cabin  and  put  up  several  tepees  near, 
Laravie  and  Davidson  being  squaw  men,  and  a  picturesque 
scene  was  formed.  On  one  of  my  trips,  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  building  a  house  on  my  claim,  I  found  them 
there,  and  in  a  joking  way  they  told  me  they  had  jumped 
my  spring. 

"  At  that  time  the  Grand  Junction  mine  was  bonded  for  a 
large  sum  of  money,  and  I,  having  some  property  adjoining, 
that  was  included  in  the  bond,  and  thinking  that  a  sale 
would  surely  be  made,  I  was  feeling  very  generous,  and 
told  them  they  could  have  the  spring  if  they  would  hold 
it.  I  thought  they  could  make  some  money  out  of  it,  while 
I  could  not  afford  to  keep  some  one  there,  and  was  too 
busy  in  the  mining  line  to  stay  there  myself. 

"  That  summer  I  visited  Deadwood,  and  wrote  an  article 
for  the  Pioneer  about  the  springs.  Dr.  R.  D.  Jennings 
read  it,  and  questioned  me  considerably  about  the  springs, 
and  sent  McKay,  one  of  the  old  miners  who  had  been  with 
Custer,  down  to  investigate,  and  give  him  a  full  report. 
Dr.  Jennings  and  Dr.  A.  S.  Stewart  visited  the  springs  in 
the  fall  of  1881,  looking  over  the  situation  thoroughly. 
After  returning  to  Deadwood  they  formed  a  stock  com- 
pany, with  E.  G.  Dudley,  L.  R.  Graves  and  Col.  Fred.  T.  ' 
Evans,  and  this  company  bought  out  Davidson  and  Laravie. 
In  the  meantime  Reno  had  traded  his  ranch  to  Joe  and 
Ted.  Petty  for  a  farm  they  owned  near  Buffalo  Gap.  They 
held  the  plunge  bath  spring  for  irrigating  their  farm.  The 
new  company  purchased  that  spring  also. 

"Dr.  Stewart,  Dr.  Jennings,  and  Judge  Dudley  moved 
their  families  to  the  springs  in  1882,  built  themselves  com- 
fortable homes  and  laid  out  the  original  town-site.  Judge 
Dudley  started  a  saw  mill,  and  Graves  and  Evans  furnished 
the  necessary  means  to  build  up  and  improve  the  town.  If 
five  men  ever  worked  together  in  harmony  for  the  upbuild- 
ing of  a  place,  these  men  did." 


DIJ.    R.    D.    JKXNINGS, 

One  of  the  founders  of  The  Great  Americ;in  Carlsbad. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    IMKOTAHS.  653 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foresjoinor  account  that,  con- 
trary  to  the  heretofore  commonly  accepted  belief,  to  Col. 
Wm.  Thornby  belongs  the  distinction  of  having  located, 
not  only  the  first  warm  spring,  but  also,  jointly  with 
George  Boland,  the  site  upon  which  the  main  portion  of  the 
celebrated  Black  Hills  health  resort  now  stands.  He  did 
not  perfect  settlement  of  the  ground,  it  is  true,  having, 
in  a  spasm  of  generosity,  which  he  has  since,  no  doubt, 
sorely  regretted,  relinquished  his  claim  to  Joe  Laravie  and 
John  Davidson,  squaw  men,  who  subsequently  sold  to  the 
Hot  Springs  Town-site  Company  for  a  good  round  sum. 

The  first  actual  settlers  in  the  Hot  Springs  region  were 
George  Trimmer,  George  Turner,  Joseph  Brunschmidt,  and 
Joseph  and  Edmund  Pitty.  Although  Messrs.  Reno  and 
Bond  located  ranches,  it  does  not  appear  that  they  made 
permanent  settlement. 

Col.  Wm.  Thornby,  the  locator  of  the  wonderful  thermal 
"  Minnekahta  "  spring,  and  the  site  upon  which  the  cele- 
brated Blacks  Hills  health  resort  now  stands,  came  to  the 
Black  Hills  in  the  winter  of  1876,  then  a  young  man  just 
entered  upon  his  twenties,  and  like  the  born  "rustler" 
that  he  is,  went  immediately  to  work  as  an  up-gulch  agent 
for  the  Black  Hills  Weekly  Pioneer.  In  June,  1879,  he 
went  to  Custer,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  was  elected  as 
the  first  assessor  of  that  county  and  was  again  elected  to 
succeed  himself.  In  1884  he  was  elected  as  county  judge 
of  Custer  County.  In  1892  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  from  Custer  and  Fall  River  Counties,  by  the  largest 
majority  received  by  any  member  in  either  branch  of  the 
Legislature.  In  1887  he  was  appointed  a  Colonel  on  the 
staff  of  Governor  Church,  receiving  the  first  Colonel's  com- 
mission in  the  Black  Hills.  Mr.  Thornby  is  now  in  the 
employ  of  the  Government  Assay  OflSce  at  Deadwood, 
South  Dakota. 

Dr.  R.  D.  Jennings,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  great 
"American  Carlsbad,"  came  to  the  Black  Hills  with  the 
Major    Whitehead    party  from  Bismarck,  in    June,  1876, 


654  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

stopping  first  at  Crook  City,  then  on  the  crest  of  the  wave, 
and,  as  some  thought,  the  future  metropolis  of  the  Black 
Hills. 

After  a  short  sojourn  at  Crook  City,  he  went  to  Dead- 
wood,  where  he  remained  until  1881  when  he  removed  to 
Hot  Springs,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Dr.  Jennings 
held  the  position  of  Deputy  United  States  Revenue  Col- 
lector for  Dakota  Territory  from  March,  1875,  to  June, 
1878,  after  which  time  he  was  engaged  in  mining  in  the 
vicinity,  of  Deadwood  until  his  removal  to  Hot  Springs, 
where  for  several  years  he  followed  the  business  of  an 
architect.  Many  of  the  public  buildings  of  the  Black  Hills, 
notably  the  Pennington  and  Custer  County  courthouses,  the 
Deadwood  and  Custer  public  school  buildings,  as  also  the 
Minnekahta  Hotel  at  Hot  Springs,  and  numerous  of  the 
cottages  of  Deadwood,  were  constructed  after  plans  pre- 
pared by  his  hand. 

Upon  his  removal  to  Hot  Springs,  Dr.  Jennings  took  up 
the  study  of  medicine  and  graduated  from  a  medical  school 
at  Chicago,  111.,  in  1889,  and  in  1890  took  an  M.  R.  C.  S. 
course  in  King's  College,  London,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Hot 
Springs,  South  Dakota. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  G5i3 


CHAPTER     XLIir. 

HOT  SPRINGS  OR  MINNEKAHTA. 

Located  upon  and  between  a  somewhat  bewildering  maze 
of  undulating  hills,  in  the  picturesque  valley  of  Fall  river, 
flanked  by  lofty  ranges  of  mountains,  —  trending  nearly 
north  and  south  at  an  elevation  of  about  3,700  feet  above  the 
ocean's  plane,  may  be  foynd  Hot  Springs,  distinguished  as 
the  Hot  Springs  of  South  Dakota,  but  sometimes  designated 
the  "  Carlsbad  of  America,"  and  perhaps  its  noted  Ger- 
man prototype  suffers  nothing  by  the  comparison.  In- 
deed the  Hot  Springs  of  to-day  with  its  numerous  sanitari- 
ums and  bath-houses  equipped  with  all  the  best  appliances 
for  administering  every  kind  of  water  treatment,  including 
the  plunge,  the  spray,  the  vapor,  the  salt,  the  Turkish,  and 
Russian  baths,  its  magnificent  many  storied  and  luxuriantly 
furnished  hotels,  tor  the  entertainment  of  the  crowds  of 
guests  who  visit  the  resort  every  summer  in  quest  of  pleasure 
and  health;  its  superb  climate  and  romantic  scenic  environ- 
ments, to  say  nothing  of  its  tine  public  and  private  build- 
ings, possibly  reflects  luster  upon  its  foreign  namesake. 

The  Hot  Springs  Town-site  Company  was  organized  in 
Deadwood,  late  in  the  fall  of  1881,  and  in  December,  1882, 
the  town-site  was  laid  out  on  ground  purchased  by  the  com- 
pany of  Edmund  Petty,  but  first  located  as  a  ranch  by 
L.  B.  Reno,  in  1879,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Catholicou 
spring,  the  original  plat  containing  an  area  of  160  acres. 
Appropriately  enough,  the  name  applied  to  the  new  town 
was  Hot  Springs,  but  in  this  connection  the  thought  natur- 
ally occurs  that  the  more  euphonious  and  attractive  appel- 
lation of  "  Minnekahta,"  which,  in  the  Sioux  tongue,  char- 
acterizes the    thermal  quality  of  the  waters  of  that  region, 


65() 


THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


and,  moreover,  which  speaks  eloquently  of  sparkling  rills 
and  babbling  brooks,  of  mossy  dells  and  shady  nooks, 
would  be   more  in   harmony  with  the  romantic  beauties  of 


THE   FIRST   HOUSE   OX   THE   ORIGINAL  TOWX-SITE   OF   HOT   SPRINGS, 
BUILT    BY    DR.    A.    S.    STEWART. 

that  delightfully  sequestered  spot.  Perhaps,  however, 
from  a  purely  material  and  economic  standpoint,  it  was  the 
proper  thing  to  give    it  the  more  practical  name  of  plain 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS,  657 

Hot  Springs.  At  any  rate,  Hot  Springs  it  is,  and  it  is  not 
the  purpose  of  the  writer  to  question  the  propriety  of  the 
title  bestowed. 

The  initial  building,  erected  on  the  town-site,  was  a  one 
and  one-half  story  frame  structure,  built  by  Dr.  A.  S. 
Stewart  for  a  stage  station  and  hotel,  for  the  entertain- 
ment of  passengers  over  the  line,  and  other  guests.  The 
building  did  not  long  stand  isolated  and  alone,  as  shown  in 
the  accompanying  cut,  other  business  enterprises  of  a  mag- 
nitude sufficient  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  popula- 
tion, being  soon  established.  During  the  following  year, 
too,  a  school  was  opened,  and  the  first  public  school  build- 
ing erected.  This  first  school  was  taught  by  Miss  Lottie 
Smith  of  Custer,  in  a  small  log  cabin,  situated  at  the  lower 
extremity  of  the  original  town,  with  an  attendance  of  six 
pupils.  Subsequently,  a  school  building  was  erected  by 
the  citizens  of  the  lower  town,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Hot  Springs  Library  Association.  This  first  public  school 
building  afterwards  became  the  property  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

Although  the  town  received  something  of  an  impetus  in 
1883,  when  it  became  the  capital  of  Fall  River  County,  it 
was  not  characterized  by  any  remarkable  permanent  growth 
during  the  first  three  years  of  its  existence,  its  population 
being  for  the  most  part  of  a  transient  character.  It  did  not 
grow  up  in  a  day  like  some  of  the  early  mining  camps  of 
the  Hills,  but  developed  by  a  sort  of  gradual  evolution. 
News  of  the  wonderful  cures  effected  by  the  use  of  the 
thermal  waters,  in  cases  of  rheumatism,  soon  spread  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  Hills,  when  it  became  the  "  Mecca"  of 
laro'e  numbers  of  those  afilicted  with  that  and  other  kin- 
dred  maladies,  to  test  their  virtues.  Some,  who,  perhaps, 
had  experienced  only  occasional  premonitory  twinges  of 
that  peculiar  disease,  came  provided  with  camping  outfits, 
for  a  season  of  recuperation,  and  pitched  their  tents  near 
one  or  another  of  the  most  reputable  of  the  many  springs, 
on  ground   once  occupied   by  the  tepees  of  the  rcdmen, 

42 


658  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

while  others  took  up  their  quarters  at  a  hotel  or  other  place 
of  entertainuient ;  hotels  and  buth  houses  had  sprung  up  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  springs  as  naturally  as  their  thermal 
waters  bubbled  up  from  the  depths  below.  A  few  help- 
less cripples,  with  drawn,  distorted  members,  who  were 
brought  in  wagons  and  carried  to  their  quarters  for  treat- 
ment, returned  to  their  homes  in  a  few  weeks,  sound  in 
every  limb.  These  were  only  temporary  guests  who  came 
and  went. 

With  the  increasing  influx  of  invalids,  and  tourists  on 
pleasure  bent,  the  demand  for  sanitariums,  furnished  with 
facilities  for  the  treatment  of  patients,  and  increased  hotel 
accommodations  for  the  entertainment  of  visitors,  both 
sick  and  well,  became  imperative.  To  fulfill  this  demand, 
required  the  expenditure  of  a  large  amount  of  capital  and 
the  company  jirepared  to  meet  the  emergency. 

In  the  fall  of  1886  the  Town-site  Company  reorganized 
and  was  duly  incorporated  under  the  Territorial  laws,  and 
designated  the  Dakota  Hot  Springs  Company,  with  Dr.  A. 
S.  Stewart,  Dr.  R.  D.  Jennings,  Col.  Fred.  T.  Evans, 
Leonard  K.  Graves,  and  Judge  E.  G.  Dudley  as  incorpo- 
ators.  The  company  was  organized  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $2,000,000,  divided  into  40,000  shares,  of  a  par  value 
of  $500  each. 

The  320  acres  of  land,  purchased  by  the  company  of 
Laravie  and  Davidson,  was  laid  out  and  platted  for  a  new 
town-site,  when  the  center  of  growth  was  transferred  from 
the  old  town-site  to  the  new,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  originally 
discovered  "  Minnekahta  "  spring,  which  is  regarded  as  the 
head  and  front  of  the  town's  existence.  From  this  time 
dates  the  real  substantial  growth  of  Hot  Springs.  Real 
estate  became  at  once  in  active  demand,  and  the  investment 
of  capital  followed  as  a  logical  sequence.  A  newspaper 
and  bank  were  soon  established,  followed  late**  by  educa- 
cational  and  other  public  institutions.  Elegant,  many- 
storied  structures  of  native  sandstone,  rose  up  in  the 
valley,  and  others  reared  their  imposing  individualities  on 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    IMKOTAHS.  659 

the  adjacent  plateaus,  in  the  construction  of  which  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars  were  disbursed  and  for  the 
most  part  circulated  through  the  town. 

The  first  newspaper  published,  called  the  Hot  Springs 
/Star,  was  established  by  Dr.  A.  S.  Stewart  and  W.  W. 
Laflesh  on  May  28th,  1886.  The  tirst  bank  opened  its 
doors  for  business  on  July  28th,  1888,  with  Richard  C. 
Lake,  president ;  Jas.  Halley,  vice-president,  and  H.  S. 
Eaton,  cashier.  The  institution  was  incorporated  under  the 
Territorial  laws,  and  designated  the  "  Hot  Springs  Bank." 

The  first  religious  society  was  organized  by  the  Metho- 
dists in  1884,  which  society  also  erected  the  first  house  of 
public  worship  in  1887.  There  are  now  six  religious  organ- 
izations, viz. :  the  Methodist,  Episcopalian,  Presbyterian, 
Congregational,  Baptist,  and  Catholic. 

PUBLIC    INSTITUTIONS. 

On  an  elevated  plateau,  known  as  "  College  Hill,"  over- 
looking the  valley  of  Fall  river  on  the  west,  half  hidden 
by  trees,  stands  the  Black  Hills  College,  in  its  sober 
gray  sandstone  attire.  The  college  building,  a  solid  three- 
storied  structure,  was  completed  in  1889  at  a  cost  of  $20,- 
000  approximately.  The  institution  which  was  established 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  church,  opened  its 
doors  for  the  admission  of  students  on  September  11th, 
1890,  with  an  attendance  of  eleven  students,  which  number 
was  increased  to  forty  before  the  close  of  the  college  year. 
Its  first  president  was  Rev.  John  W.  Haucher,  through 
whose  unremitting  efforts  the  existence  of  the  college  was 
made  possible. 

Although  denominational,  the  institution  is  conducted 
upon  broad  and  liberal  principles,  its  doors  standing  wide 
open  for  all  students  regardless  of  creed.  Its  course, 
covers  a  wide  range  of  studies,  in  which  the  instruction  is 
thorough  and  complete,  by  reason  of  which  the  institution 
has  gained  an  enviable  reputation  both  at  home  and 
abroad. 


660 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


LAST    HUNTIN(}    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  ()6l 

About  half  way  up  the  acclivity  of  a  hill  which  rises  up 
to  the  westward  of  the  business  portion  of  the  city,  with 
groves  of  pine  and  hemlock,  and  tumuli  of  variegated 
gypsum  on  its  outer  evironments,  as  I  remember  it,  the 
South  Dakota  Soldiers'  Home  rears  its  massive  pile  of  gray 
stone  masonry.  The  Home,  covering  an  area  of  85x132 
feet,  wholly  within  its  own  generous  domain  of  eighty  acres 
of  land,  is  a  fine  three-story  structure  with  dormer  roof, 
built  of  handsome  gray  sandstone,  with  double  verandas  in 
front,  and  stands  a  fitting  monument  in  honor  of  the  brave 
men  who  fought  to  preserve  us  a  united  nation.  Within 
its  solid  walls  and  under  its  protecting  roof ,  South  Dakota's 
disabled,  gray-haired  veterans  of  the  Civil  War  may  find  a 
safe  refuge,  and  spend  the  balance  of  their  days  in  peaceful 
comradeship,  recounting  stories  of  the  terrible  days  when 
they  bivouacked  on  the  field  of  battle,  surrounded  by  the 
bodies  of  the  slain. 

The  Home,  which  was  secured  to  Flot  Springs  through  the 
recommendation  of  the  G.  A.  R.  of  the  Department  of 
Dakota,  was  completed  in  1890,  at  a  cost  —  including  inte- 
rior equipments  and  outside  appurtenances  —  of  $45,000 
to  Dakota  Territory.  The  Act  authorizing  its  construc- 
tion, which  became  a  law  over  the  Governor's  veto  on 
the  27th  of  February,  1889,  gives  title  in  fee  simple  to 
eighty  acres  of  land,  within  or  near  the  limits  of  Hot 
Springs,  to  Dakota  Territory,  and  by  contract  guarantees 
to  the  Home  and  its  inmates  all  the  water  needed  for  any 
purpose  whatsoever  from  the  best  spring  in  the  region  free 
of  charge.  It  is  needless  to  state  that  the  title  is  now 
vested  in  South  Dakota,  and  the  water  procured  from  the 
original  Minnekahta  spring. 

In  the  valley,  almost  directly  east  from  the  Soldiers' 
Home  on  the  opposite  side  of  Fall  river,  the  Evans  Hotel 
stands  out  in  bold  relief  against  a  background  of  rugged, 
variegated  crags  which  rise  high  and  still  higher  towards  the 
east  until  they  culminate  in  Battle  Mountain,  some  two 
and  a  half  or  three  miles  awav.     The  building  is  five  stories 


662  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OR, 

in  height,  constructed  of  what  many  connoisseurs  in  color 
shades  call  pink  sandstone,  but  which  to  my  inartistic  eye 
appears  of  a  light  brown.  However,  to  compromise  dif- 
ferences, we  shall  call  it  pinkish-brown.  Well,  it  is  built 
of  pinkish-brown  sandstone,  mined  from  the  Evans  quarry 
somewhere  among  the  neighboring  hills,  and  is  surrounded 
on  three  sides  by  a  wide  veranda,  where  its  guests  on  sum- 
mer evenings  are  wont"  to  trip  "  the  light  fantastic  toe  to 
the  strains  of  the  Evans  House  paid  orchestra,  and  I  wouldn't 
wonder  a  bit  if  those  cured  of  chronic  rheumatism  and 
gout,  sometimes  gaily  dance  the  "  two-step  "  in  the  same 
spacious  veranda. 

In  interior  arrangement,  finish,  and  furnishings,  it  is 
a  model  of  the  architect,  the  mechanic,  and  upholster- 
er's art,  and  with  its  mosaic-floored,  fresco-walled  lobby, 
its  velvet  carpeted,  elegantly  furnished  parlors,  its  elec- 
troliers, anunciator,  and  elevator,  one  might  easily  —  clos- 
ing his  eyes  to  outside  environments — imagine  himself  in 
one  of  the  palatial  hotels  at  Newport.  This  magnificent 
structure  was  built  by  the  Dakota  Hot  Springs  Company 
in  1891  and  1892,  at  a  cost  of  $150,000.  The  work  of 
construction  began  on  October  21st,  1891,  and  the  big 
hostelry  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  guests  on  August 
6th,  1892. 

Near  the  "  Evans  "  and  connected  with  it  by  an  inclosed 
passage  wa}'  is  the  sanitarium  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  hotel  guests,  as  well  as  the  general  public.  It  is  a  three- 
story  structure  of  cut  stone,  corresponding  in  color  and 
similar  in  style  to  the  hotel,  and  furnished  with  the  same 
luxuriance  throughout.  The  lower  floor  is  handsomely 
fitted  up  for  waiting  rooms,  while  the  upper  stories  are 
separated  into  numerous  apartments,  arranged  en  suite  for 
the  convenience  and  comfort  of  its  invalid  inmates.  The 
building  is  warmed  with  steam  and  lighted  with  electricitj^ 
is  provided  with  capacious  bath  pools,  and  every  other 
facility  for  the  treatment  of  patients  who  are  cared  for 
under  the  special  directions  of  a  skilled  j)hysician. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  663 

Just  across  the  stream  which  flows  swiftly  down  the 
valley  in  front  of  the  Evans,  is  the  "  Gillespie,"  a  hand- 
some four-story  building  of  cut  sandstone,  surmounted  by 
a  dominant  corner  tower,  and  fronted  by  a  double  balcony. 
Although  built  and  conducted  on  a  somewhat  less  extensive 
and  elaborate  plan  than  its  neighbor  across  the  brook,  it  is 
fitted  out  with  the  most  modern  appointments,  and  its 
cuisine  is  reputed  to  be  a  marvel  of  excellence.  The 
"  Gillespie  "  was  built  in  1889  and  1890  by  Fred.  Gillespie, 
at  a  cost  of  $25,000.  Its  doors  were  opened  to  the  public 
in  June,  1890. 

On  the  opposite  corner  north  of  the  "Evans,"  stands 
the  massive  pile  of  stone,  extending  from  East  river  to 
Main  street,  called  the  Minnekahta  Block,  which  is  the 
largest  and  most  costly  business  edifice  in  Hot  Springs. 
The  building,  a  three-storied  pink  sandstone  structure, 
was  built  by  the  Minnekahta  Company  of  which  Fred.  T. 
Evans  was,  it  is  believed  president,  at  a  cost  of  $35,000. 
Conspicious  amons  other  business  buildings  are  the  Farsfo- 
Dickover  Block,  and  the  Phillips  &  Boomer  Block,  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  city,  the  former  a  three-storied  and  the 
latter  a  two-storied  structure. 

Let  us  now  take  a  stroll  around  the  outer  limits  of  the 
city  and  pay  a  brief  visit  to  the  springs,  whose  magnetic 
waters  constitute  the  stimulus  which  sustains  its  vital- 
ity. After  crossing  the  bridge  that  spans  the  stream,  let 
us  proceed  west  to  the  end  of  Minnekahta  avenue,  and  there 
in  a  recess  of  the  hill  which  slopes  down  from  the  west, 
will  be  found  the  original  jNIinnekahta  Spring,  in  a  cleft  of 
the  rock.  Over  the  spring  is  erected  a  two-story  bath 
house,  containing  sixty  or  more  rooms,  provided  with 
handsome  marble  bath-tubs,  and  warmed  by  steam,  where 
the  whole  categorv  of  baths  are  administered. 

Here  may  be  seen  a  moccasin-shaped  tub,  chiseled  out  of 
the  solid  rock,  which  is,  doubtless,  one  of  the  traditional 
tubs,  in  which  the  Indians  took  their  ablutions,  centuries, 
perhaps,  before  they  were  seen  by  white  men. 


664:  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;     OR, 

Near  by,  and  conducted  in  connection  with  the  bath- 
house, is  a  four-story  sanitarium  and  hotel,  suitably 
arranged  and  equipped  for  the  convenience  and  comfort  of 
its  invalid  guests,  where  is  prepared  the  menu  which  tempts 
the  delicate  appetite  of  the  sick. 

Below  the  old  town-site  at  the  lower  extremity  of  the 
city  is  the  Catholican  spring.  Here,  too,  is  a  large  sani- 
tarium —  a  long  three-storied  building  of  cut  sandstone  and 
pressed  brick.  From  a  passing  glimpse  of  the  structure, 
obtained  in  1893,  it  impressed  me  as  being  made  up  of  a 
main  central  building  with  a  right  and  left  wing;  however,, 
it  may  have  been  added  to  since  then.  At  any  rate,  it  has 
a  large  capacity  for  the  accommodation  of  guests  and  an 
extensive  patronage. 

Up  the  valley  at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  city  will 
be  found  the  great  Mammoth  spring  and  the  still  greater 
"Plunge,"  which,  for  the  robust  or  those  needing  heroic 
treatment,  stands  without  a  peer.  This  happy  conception, 
wrought  out  for  the  amusement  of  visitors,  consists  of  an 
immense  basin,  150x60  feet  in  dimensions, we  are  told, 
with  gravel  bottom,  through  which  a  multitude  of  springs 
bubble  up,  and  walled  on  all  sides  with  solid  stone  and 
cement  masonry.  Into  this  the  Mammoth  spring  jiours  its 
flood  of  magnetic,  tepid  water,  at  the  rate  of  100,000  gal- 
Jons  every  hour,  the  outflow  leaving  a  depth  of  five  feet  at 
one  end  and  nine  at  the  other. 

Around  this  immense  pool  is  constructed  a  wide  prom- 
enade, afibrding  ample  space  for  the  bathers  and  on- 
lookers. At  convenient  points  in  this  gallery,  are  arranged 
toboggan  slides,  spring  boards,  trapeze  ropes,  and  every 
other  contrivance  known  to  water  sports.  Over  the  whole 
is  built  a  lofty,  arched  structure  of  iron  and  glass,  heated 
by  steam,  lighted  by  electricity,  and  provided  with  a 
hundred  well-appointed  dressing-rooms,  for  the  use  of 
bathers  and  visitors.  Within  this  unique  structure  an 
amusing  and  animated  spectacle  is  presented,  any  day 
during  the  wateringr  season. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  tlG-^ 

Just  imagine  a  half  a  hundred  or  more  men  and  women, 
girls  and  boys,  of  nearly  all  ages  and  sizes,  plump  and 
lean,  diving,  ducking,  sinking,  swimming,  floating,  floun- 
dering, splashing,  gasping,  screaming,  and  laughing  in  the 
big  pond,  at  the  same  time,  and  you  have  a  true  mental 
picture  of  what  is  frequently  to  be  seen  at  the  "  Plunge." 
And  oh,  the  joy  and  fun  of  it  all !  This  wonderful  structure 
of  stone,  wood,  iron,  and  glass,  was  built  during  the  sum- 
mer and  fall  of  1890,  by  the  Dakota  Hot  Springs  Com- 
pany, at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  About  300  yards  above  the 
"  Plunge  "  is  the  Lakota  spring,  the  fountain  head  of 
the  Hot  Springs'  water  system. 

On  the  slope  of  College  Hill,  is  another  sanitarium  and 
bath  house,  a  private  institution,  affording  accommoda- 
tions for  about  twenty  patients,  established  by  Dr.  A.  S. 
Stewart.  This  institution  is  provided  with  facilities  for 
all  kinds  of  baths,  —  plunge,  vapor,  spray,  Turkish,  etc. 
An  attractive  feature  of  this  establishment  is  a  miniature 
"  plunge  "  bath,  twenty-five  feet  in  diameter,  in  the  center 
of  the  building,  which  may  be  supplied  with  water  at  any 
desired  temperature,  or  any  required  depth.  The  bath 
rooms  are  furnished  with  handsome  marble  bath  tubs,  and 
floored  with  colored  tiling  of  attractive  design.  The  in- 
stitution is  conducted  under  the  careful  supervision  of  Dr. 
A.  S.  Stewart,  its  proprietor. 

In  1890,  the  town  was  incorporated  as  a  city  under  the 
general  laws  of  the  State,  and  divided  into  three  wards, 
each  of  which  is  represented  by  two  members  of  the  city 
council,  with  J.  B.  Dickover  as  its  first  mayor.  During 
the  same  year  the  city  was  organized  into  an  independent 
school  district,  which  was  provided  with  a  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, consisting  of  two  members  from  each  of  the  city 
wards. 

Subsequently  the  board  issued  bonds  to  the  amount  of 
$20,000  to  provide  funds  for  building  a  new  school  build- 
ing, and  in  the  summer  of  1893  the  present  fine  school 
edifice   was    completed.     The    building    which    occupies  a 


<J66  THE    BLACK    HILLS,    OK; 

commanding  site  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  city,  is  a 
two-storied  structure  of  gra}''  sandstone,  divided  into  six 
departments,  each  of  which  is  generously  furnished  with 
all  the  needed  apparatus  for  the  instruction  of  pupils.  The 
school  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  as  is  attested  by  the 
large  attendance  of  pupils,  the  enrollment  for  the  school 
year  beginning  September,  1898,  being  325,  making  an 
increase  of  319  pupils  since  the  opening  of  the  first  public 
school  in  1883. 

HOT    SPRINGS    FIRE    DEPARTMENT. 

The  Hot  Springs  Fire  Department  was  first  organized  on 
February  21st,  1891,  with  Henry  Vanatta  as  its  first  Chief. 
It  was  first  composed  of  three  companies,  viz.,  Hot  Springs 
Hose  Company  No.  1,  Minnekahta  Hose  Company,  and 
Hot  Springs  Hook  and  Ladder  Company.  Subsequently 
Hose  Company  No.  2  was  organized  and  incorporated  into 
the  department. 

HOT    SPRINGS    AVATER    AND    ELECTRIC    LIGHT    SYSTEMS. 

The  Hot  Springs  water  and  electric  lighting  systems 
were  built  during  the  years  1890-91-92,  by  the  Hot  Springs 
Water,  Light  &  Power  Co.,  at  an  aggregate  cost  of  $60,000. 
The  water  system  is  constructed  upon  a  very  ingenious 
plan.  The  water  is  drawn  from  the  Lakota  spring,  about 
300  yards  above  the  plunge,  as  before  stated,  and  carried, 
or  rather  it  gravitates  down  to  the  pumping  and  power 
station,  near  the  center  of  the  city,  where  it  is  pumped  into 
the  mains,  whence  it  flows  into  the  service  pipes  to  all  parts 
of  the  city.  An  immense  reservoir,  seventy  feet  in  diame- 
ter and  eighteen  feet  deep,  with  a  holding  capacity  of  over 
a  half  million  gallons,  is  constructed  in  the  northwestern 
portion  of  the  city,  at  an  elevation  of  200  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  station,  which  receives  the  waste  or  surplus 
water  pumped  into  the  mains.  The  Evans  Hotel  is  supplied 
from  the  same  source,  the  water  being  forced  into  the 
many  storied  building  by  hydraulic  pressure.     The  power 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  667 

at  the  station  is  also  used  for  produciog  the  arc  lights, 
while  the  power  and  generator  for  the  incandescent  lights 
are  located  four  miles  l)elow  the  city. 

The  most  important  industries  of  Hot  Springs  are  a  large 
stucco  plant,  a  flouring  and  planing  mill.  The  former, 
located  south  of  the  city,  was  built  in  1893  b_v  the  Dakota 
Hot  Springs  Co.,  at  a  cost  of  $12,000.  Large  quantities 
of  the  product  of  this  plant,  manufactured  from  the 
immense  deposits  of  gypsum  found  in  that  region,  are 
annually  shipped  to  Omaha  and  other  Western  cities,  where 
it  commands  a  ready  market  at  a  handsome  profit. 

The  flouring  mill,  situated  near  the  northern  limits  of 
the  city,  was  built  in  1894,  by  C.  A.  &  V.  G.  Peterson. 
The  plant  employs  the  roller  process,  and  has  a  capacity  of 
«ixty  barrels  of  flour  per  day. 

Perhaps  stone  quarrying  may  also  be  classed  among  the 
industries  of  Hot  Springs.  At  any  rate  immeasurable 
quantities  of  the  finest  quality  of  building  stone,  of  nearl}' 
-every  color  and  shade,  is  found  among  the  neighboring 
bills,  much  of  which  has  been  quarried  and  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  many  elegant  public  and  private  build- 
ings of  the  city,  ard  some  of  which  has  been  shipped  to 
other  localities.  The  principal  quarries  of  the  region  are 
the  "Evans,"  the  "  Elm  Creek  Stone  Co.,"  theOdell  Co., 
and  the  Burke  quarries,  all  of  which  maj^  in  the  not  dis- 
tant future,  prove  a  source  of  large  revenue  to  their  own- 
ers, —  every  facility  for  the  shipment  of  the  surplus  product 
of  these  industries  being  now  furnished  by  the"Elkhorn  " 
and  "Burlington  "  railways. 

Branches  of  these  great  commercial  arteries  were  ex- 
tended to  Hot  Springs  during  the  year  1891,  the  Elkhorn 
reaching  Hot  Springs  in  May,  1891,  and  the  Burlington 
in  July,  1891,  the  former  winning  the  race  by  about  two 
months.  It  was  on  the  approach  of  these  railroads  that  Hot 
Springs  entered  upon  its  period  of  commercial  develop- 
ment. In  1892  the  two  companies  evidenced  their  faith 
in  the  permanency  of  Hot  Springs  by  building  a  handsome 


668  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

cut  stone  Union  depot  near  the  center  of  the  city,  in  close 
proximity  to  the  Evans  Hotel. 

Besides  its  five  church  organizations  Hot  Springs  has  the 
usual  complement  of  secret  societies,  common  to  cities  of 
its  class,  among  which  are  the  Masonic,  Odd  Fellows, 
Modern  Woodmen,  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  Royal  Neighbors. 
The  legal  and  medical  professions  are  represented  by  eight 
lawyers  and  five  physicians  —  who,  in  the  very  nature  of 
things,  must  needs  be  skilled  in  the  treatment  of  all  the 
ailments  which  the  human  flesh  is  heir  to. 

The  credit  of  the  press  is  maintained  by  two  wide-awake 
weekly  newspapers,  the  Hot  Springs  /Star  and  Hot  Springs 
Times-Herald,  the  former  now  published  by  J.  A.  Stanley,, 
the  latter  by  Edward  Ames. 

Besides  the  Evans,  Gillespie,  Hot  Springs,  and  Catholi- 
can  hotels  before  mentioned  there  are  the  Ferguson,  the 
Fargo,  and  other  hostelries,  aggregating  a  baker's  dozen, 
all  of  which  are  well  patronized  during  the  summer  season 
when  the  city  is  thronged  with  visitors.  It  has  two  banking 
institutions,  two  lumber  yards  and  over  fifty  other  business 
establishments  of  various  kinds,  and  contains  a  permanent 
population  of  1,500  enterprising  people. 

However,  while  Hot  Springs  enjoys  a  profitable  trade,, 
it  is  not  strictly  a  commercial  city,  that  is,  commerce  is 
not  its  principal  business.  It  owes  its  origin  to  its  springs, 
and  chiefly  because  of  its  springs  it  exists.  It  is  essen- 
tially a  health  and  pleasure  resort,  where,  amid  nature's 
lavish  adornments,  supplemented  by  wonderful  creations  of 
art,  the  sick  and  the  lame  may  find  health,  and  the  tired 
and  careworn  rest  and  recreation.  Every  favorable, 
natural  condition,  conspires  with  art  in  making  Hot 
Springs  an  ideal  resort  for  the  invalid.  The  wonderful 
curative  properties  of  its  waters,  its  altitude,  at  the  golden 
mean,  between  the  two  extremes  of  temperature,  its  loca- 
tion sheltered  by  the  encircling  hills,  from  the  fierce 
storms  of  winter,  and  cooled  in  summer  by  the  refreshing 
breezes,  which  come  down,  laden  with  the  aromatic  frag- 


LAST    HUNTING    GKOUND    OF    TUK    DAKOTAHS.  (J^JD 

ranee  of  the  pines  and  the  hemlocks,  from  the  canyons  of 
the  mountains,  and  circulates  freely  through  the  valley, 
combine  to  make  it  a  natural  sanitarium  unequaled  else- 
where. The  fierce  extremes  of  heat  and  cold,  which  prove 
so  trying  to  the  invalid,  are  unknown  in  this  Bhick  Hills 
elysium,  the  thermometer  registering  an  average  tempera- 
ture of  forty-two  degrees  above  zero  during  the  winter 
months,  the  mercury  rising  to  ninety-two  degrees  Fahren- 
heit, during  the  hottest  days  of  summer.  According  to 
the  official  record  of  the  weather  prophet,  the  average  year 
has  eighty-eight  cloudy,  167  partly  cloudy,  and  110  days 
of  perpetual  sunshine.  These  favorable  conditions,  how- 
ever, are  confined  to  a  limited  area,  and  doubtless  owe  their 
origin  to  the  locality  and  the  presence  of  the  numerous 
hot  springs  in  the  region. 

But  this  is  not  all.  Hot  Springs  is  rich  in  all  the  scenic 
attractions  for  which  the  Black  Hills  has  become  noted. 
It  has  not  only  its  bubbling  springs  and  gurgling  brooks, 
its  lovers'  glen  and  sylvan  retreats,  but  also  its  lofty  look- 
outs, romantic  drives,  and  distant  waterfalls,  besides  being 
the  point  of  embarkation  for  the  greatest  natural  curiosity 
in  America.  Battle  Mountain,  which  affords  a  compre- 
hensive view  of  hill  and  dale,  valley  and  plane,  for  a  distance 
of  sixty  miles,  dominates  the  city  on  the  east;  Gypsum 
Butte,  with  its  variegated  stratification,  rises  upon  the  west, 
while  Dennis  Peak  rears  its  encroaching  barrier  on  the 
south. 

On  its  rapid  descent  down  the  valley,  through  the  clefts 
of  the  rocky  barriers  that  encircle  the  site  of  Hot  Springs 
on  the  south  and  east,  to  the  Cheyenne  river,  six  miles  away , 
Fall  river,  in  its  course,  dashes  over  and  around  huge 
blocks  of  red  sandstone,  in  beautiful  rainbow-tinted  cas- 
cades, forming:  what  is  known  as  the  Minnekahta  Falls  —  a 
vision  of  beauty  that  would  delight  the  eye  of  an  artist. 
The  driveway  leading  to  this  point  of  attraction  follows  the 
old  stage  route  through  the  narrow  defiles  of  the  moun- 
tains, where  trembling,  white-faced    passengers    furtively 


670  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

watched  for  lurking  road  agents  to  stalk  out  and  bar  the 
narrow  way  in  the  days  before  the  advent  of  railroads. 
At  a  point  where  the  road  makes  a  sharp  curve,  around  a 
point  of  rocks,  a  tall  cliff  is  pointed  out,  as  the  lookout 
from  where  the  signal  of  the  stage's  approach  was  passed 
to  the  robbers  in  waiting  below,  but  whether  there  was  ever 
a  regular  "  hold-up  "  in  that  particular  locality  is  not 
known. 

CASCADE. 

In  a  picturesque  valley,  surrounded  by  high  hills,  about 
nine  miles  southwest  of  Hot  S)>rings,  is  situated  the  little 
hamlet,  called  Cascade,  where  is  also  a  group  of  springs, 
said  to  possess  valuable  medicinal  properties.  Cascade, 
which  derives  its  name  from  the  beautiful  waterfall  that 
dashes  down  the  shelving  rocks  a  little  below,  caused  by 
the  overflow  of  these  springs,  once  threatened  to  become 
a  formidable  rival  of  Hot  Springs  as  a  fashionable  resort. 

About  nine  years  ago  a  syndicate  of  capitalists  pur- 
chased a  large  tract  of  land,  including  the  springs,  platted 
it,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  a  health  resort,  by  building 
a  large  sanitarium,  dancing  pavilion,  etc.,  but,  it  is  be- 
lieved, the  enterprise  proved  a  failure,  and  a  costly  experi- 
ment to  its  promoters.  The  place  is  a  popular  and  pleasant 
resort  for  outing  parties  from  Hot  Springs,  who  go  there, 
provided  with  lunch  baskets,  music,  etc.,  and  spend  the  day 
in  dancing,  bathing,  and  rambling  about  at  their  own  sweet 
will. 

WIND  CAVE. 

On  the  southern  slope  of  the  Hills,  within  the  limits  of 
Custer  County,  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Hot  Springs, 
is  the  famous  '*  Wind  Cave,"  the  greatest  natural  attrac- 
tion in  this  great  wonderland.  This  remarkable  cavern 
with  its  100  miles  of  labyrinthine  passages  and  chambers, 
already  explored,  was  accidentally  discovered,  it  is  said,  by 
Edmund   Petty  and  a  party  of  cowboys,  some   seventeen 


LAST    IIUXTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  GTl 

years  ago.  They  were  not  looking  for  caves,  but  a  peculiar 
sound,  not  accounted  for  by  the  ordinary  processes  of 
nature,  attracted  their  attention  and  led  to  the  investiga- 
tion which  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  the  cave. 

Through  an  opening  at  the  base  of  a  hill,  long  draught* 
of  air  are  literally  and  perpetually  inhaled  and  exhaled, 
producing  a  sound,  which  to  those  in  "  mehincholy  moods," 
strongly  resembles  the  mournful  soughing  of  the  wind 
through  the  branches  of  a  pine  tree  ;  but  how  long  this 
hoary  cave  has  chanted  its  solemn  requiem  it  is  impossible 
to  know.  Near  the  entrance,  at  the  bottom  of  a  dry 
ravine,  a  small  hotel  has  been  erected  by  the  proprietor  for 
the  accommodation  of  visitors,  who  are  given  safe  con- 
duct through  its  many  intricate  passages  and  vaulted  cham- 
bers, for  a  reasonable  fee.  An  inclosed  passageway  leads^ 
from  the  hotel  to  the  entrance,  where  the  lifting  of  a  trap 
door  reveals  a  long  flight  of  stairs,  which  appears  to  de- 
scend down,  down  to  the  underworld.  I  am  told,  how- 
ever, that  the  flight  ends  at  the  threshold  of  the  "  Bridal 
Chamber,"  which  assertion  is  doubtless  true.  I  went  no^ 
farther  than  the  head  of  the  stairs,  as  looking  down  into  the 
darkness  proved  sufficient  for  me;  besides  having  no  ambi- 
tion to  crawl  abjectly  on  hands  and  knees,  through  small 
apertures,  leading  from  one  chamber  to  another,  as  I  was 
told  would  be  necessary,  I  was  quite  content  to  remain 
near  the  surface,  and  did  remain,  which  precludes  the  pos- 
sibility of  my  giving  an  accurate  description  of  the  beauties 
and  mysteries  of  the  great  cavern  from  personal  knowledge. 
However,  according  to  the  descriptions  given  by  those  who 
have  explored  its  recesses,  it  is,  in  many  respects,  the 
greatest  natural  wonder  on  the  globe  as  far  as  known. 

Hundreds  of  passages  and  vaulted  chambers,  more  or 
less  spacious,  profusely  ornamented  with  brilliant  crystal 
encrustations,  wrought  into  various  honeycomb  designs, 
which  have  been,  probably,  long  centuries  in  process  of 
formation,  some  with  filaments  so  fragile  that  apparently 
the  slightest  touch,  or  even  the  faintest  breath,  might  de- 


€72  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

stroy  the  delicate  fabric,  have  been  explored  and  named 
from  some  real  or  fancied  resemblance  of  the  formations 
to  familiar  objects.  Among  these  are  the  "  Bridal  Cham- 
ber "  near  the  entrance,  with  an  area  of  150  feet,  "  Capital 
Hill,"  the  "  Bell  Chamber,"  where  a  chime  of  sweet  toned 
bells  are  rung,  the  tones  being  evoked  from  a  series  of 
stalactites,  by  human  hands,  the  "  Garden  of  Eden,"  the 
"  Tabernacle  "  and  the  "  Standing  Rock  "  chamber,  where 
Johnson,  the  mind-reader,  found  the  hidden  pin  a  few  years 
ago.  It  is  told  that  the  wonderful  beauty  and  brilliancy 
of  the  various  translucent  formations  of  these  chambers, 
when  illuminated  by  the  tapers  of  visitors,  is  beyond  the 
power  of  language  to  describe.  Through  the  eye  alone  can 
an  adequate  conception  of  this  mammoth  Black  Hills  cave 
be  gained. 

By  boarding  a  train  of  the  "  Burlington  "  road  which 
runs  from  Hot  Springs  westward  along  the  borders  of  Hot 
Brook,  in  about  thirty  minutes  we  reach  Minnekahta  junc- 
tion. This  is  the  point  where  the  branch  short  line  from 
Hot  Springs  joins  the  Black  Hills  extension  of  the  B.  &  M. 
Railway,  and  where  passengers  and  their  belongings  are 
transferred  to  a  waiting  train  which  carries  them  to  the 
great  "  American  Carlsbad." 

EDGEMONT. 

At  the  southern  gateway  to  the  Black  Hills,  about  fifteen 
miles  in  an  air  line,  but  several  more  miles  by  the  curving 
lines  of  the  Burlington  Railway,  southwest  of  Minnekahta, 
is  situated  the  enterprising  young  city  of  Edgemont.  Here 
the  road  divides,  one  division  turning  to  the  right  into  the 
Hills,  which  it  traverses  through  almost  impenetrable  can- 
yons and  hills  from  their  southern  to  their  extreme  northern 
limits,  the  other  rounding  the  base  of  the  Hills  to  the  north 
and  northwest  towards  the  Big  Horn  Mountains.  Here 
the  company  have  established  a  division  station,  erected  a 
round-house,  repair  shop,  hotel,  etc.,  which  has  made  the 
town  a  place  of  no  small  importance. 


LAST    HUNTING    (JROUNI)    OK    TlIK    DAKOTAHS.  (573 

The  town,  which  was  hiid  out  Jind  platted  iu  1891  by  the 
Lincoln  Land  Co.,  is  adiniiably  located  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  Cheyenne  river  near  the  mouth  of  Cottonwood 
creek,  and  its  broad  streets  and  squares  interspersed  here 
and  there  with  small  groves,  gives  it  an  exceedingly  attract- 
ive appearance.  Its  most  unique  and  inviting  feature, 
however,  is  a  miniature  lake  situated  in  the  center  of  the 
city,  whose  placid  bosom  is  rutHed  by  the  tiny  keels  of 
several  small  pleasure  boats,  which  ply  its  waters  through 
the  summer,  but  which  is  utilized  as  a  skating  rink  during 
the  winter  months,  when  the  young  people  hold  high 
carnival  on  its  glassy  surface. 

The  region  surrounding  Edgemont,  which  comprises  an 
extensive  area  of  tine  agricultural  and  grazing  lands, 
capable  of  supporting  a  dense  population,  is  rapidly  filliuij 
up  with  enterprising  settlers,  both  farmers  and  stock  men. 
All  varieties  of  grain  and  vegetables  are  successfully 
grown  along  the  valleys,  and  numerous  herds  of  cattle, 
horses,  and  sheep  may  be  seen  grazing  on  the  hills  and 
plateaus  adjacent  to  the  town.  To  supplement  the  natural 
moisture,  the  lack  of  which  has  somewhat  retarded  the 
settlement  of  the  region,  a  large,  irrigating  canal,  fourteen 
miles  in  length,  fed  by  the  never  failing  waters  of  the 
Cheyenne  river,  has  been  constructed,  through  which,  by 
lateral  ditches,  hundreds  of  acres  of  land  have  been  placed 
under  irrigation. 

Edgemont,  with  a  population  of  800,  has  two  churches, 
a  commodious  stone  school  building  and  a  flourishing  school. 
It  sustains  one  newspaper, — a  weekly  publication,  and 
what  is  most  interesting  to  note,  the  paper  is  conducted  by 
Harry  Godard,  who,  as  many  of  the  old-timers  will  doubt- 
less remember,  carried  the  first  mall  over  the  trail  from 
Fort  Laramie  to  Custer  during  the  winter  of  1875-i). 
Several  handsome  business  blocks  grace  the  main  street  of 
the  town,  whose  trade  along  the  different  lines  compares 
favorably  with  any  other  town  of  its  size  in  the  Black 
Hills.     A  number  of  important  industrial  and  commercial 

4.3 


674 


THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 


enterprises  are  under  process  of  construction,  amono;  which 
are  a  grindstone  manufactory,  a  woolen  mill,  and  a  smelter, 
for  whose  surplus  products  the  Burlington  Eailway  will 
bring  a  ready  market  to  their  doors.  These  enterprises 
indicate  a  public  spirit,  on  the  part  of  its  business  men, 
which  is  bound  ultimately  to  bring  its  reward. 

The  other  towns  of  Fall  River  County  are  Oelrich, 
once  quite  an  important  cattle  shipping  station  on  the  line 
of  the  Elkhorn  railroad,  Smithwick,  Hat  Creek,  Ardmore, 
and  Evans. 


LAST    HUNTING    GUOUNU    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  675 


CHAPTEK     XLIV. 

BUTTE  COUNTY. 

Prior  to  1880,  nearly  all  of  the  territory  now  embraced 
within  the  limits  of  Butte  County,  and  the  wide  scope  of  rich 
grazing  lands  lying  contiguous  thereto  on  the  north,  was 
practicall}'^  unknown  to  white  men.  Until  that  time,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  herds  along  the  valleys  of  lower 
Belle  Fourche  and  Redwater,  and  the  adjacent  uplands,  the 
region  was  the  undisputed  home  of  the  buffalo,  which, 
"  pity  'tis,"  owing  to  their  wanton  killing  by  red  and  white 
hunters  alike,  had  become  nearly  extinct  before  the  advent 
of  white  settlers.  About  this  time,  the  attention  of  cattle 
owners  in  Colorado,  Kansas,  and  other  distant  parts,  was 
attracted  to  this  paradise  of  the  stock  grower,  and  they 
began  to  drive  their  herds  from  the  overcrowded  ranges 
of  the  South  and  Southwest  to  the  untrammeled  freedom  of 
the  Northern  plains,  which  henceforth  became  the  stamping- 
ground  of  the  dashing,  festive  cowboy. 

Soon  after,  the  permanent  settlement  of  the  valleys  of 
the  Redwater  and  Belle  Fourche  and  their  tributaries 
began.  Among  the  first  settlers  in  the  valley  of  the  Red- 
water  and  Belle  Fourche  were:  Wm.  Grimmett,  Conrad 
Berg,  Wm.  Hayden,  Ed.  Buford,  John  McClure,  D.  F. 
Harrison,  P.  B.  Stearns,  J.  M.  Eaton,  A.  Giles,  and  Peter 
Brochn.  The  first  to  settle  on  Hay  creek  were:  J.  A. 
Scottney,  Wm.  Fieldsend,  and  John  C.  Mathias. 

With  the  increase  of  population  grew  the  demand  for 
county  government  for  that  section  of  the  unorganized  por- 
tion of  Dakota  Territory,  and  a  movement  to  that  end 
culminated  in  the  creation  of  Butte  County,  by  an  act  of 
the  Territorial  Legislature  of  1883,  the  county  being  eon- 


676 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


structed  from  Mandan,  and  a  small  slice  from  the  northern 
border  of  the  organized  county  of  Lawrence. 


Butte  County,  comprising  an  area  of  some  2,340  square 
miles,  a  goodly  portion  of  which  is  traversed  by  a  number 
of  never-failing    streams,  contains  some  of  the  finest  asri- 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  677 

cultural  and  grazing  lands  to  he  found  in  the  Black  Hills 
or  the  West.  Along  the  valleys  of  the  principal  streams 
and  their  tributaries  are  thousands  of  acres  of  arable  lands, 
whose  natural  productiveness  has  been  increased  by  irriga- 
tion where  all  kinds  of  cereals  and  vegetables  are  raised  to 
perfection.  The  water  for  irrigating  purposes  is  furnished 
by  the  Red  water  Land  and  Canal  Company,  through  an 
immense  irrigating  canal  which  carries  over  4,000  inches 
of  water.  This  water  is  taken  from  the  Red  water  river, 
four  miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Belle  Fourche, 
extending  down  the  latter  stream  a  distance  of  about  forty 
miles. 

There  are  yet  within  the  limits  of  Butte  County  many 
thousands  of  acres  of  unclaimed  land,  open  to  settlement 
under  the  United  States  laws,  much  of  which  can  be  placed 
under  similar  irrigation,  by  taking  water  from  the  Belle 
Fourche  by  ditches,  and  much  more  of  which  can  be  made 
prolific  by  artesian  irrigation.  It  has  been  satisfactorily 
demonstrated  that  the  great  artesian  basin  underlies  Butte 
County,  and  that  artesian  irrigation  can  be  made  a  prac- 
tical success.  It  is  believed  by  many  who  have  made  the 
subject  a  study  that  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  the 
so-called  barren  and  unproductive  land  of  that  region  will 
be  made  to  blossom  like  the  rose,  and  yield  an  abundance 
of  fruitage  through  the  medium  of  artesian  irrigation. 

On  the  principal  streams  draining  the  county,  and  their 
tributaries,  there  is  an  abundant  growth  of  oak,  ash, 
Cottonwood,  and  other  deciduous  trees,  and  the  interven- 
ing divides  are  intersected  by  numerous  small  valleys  and 
gulches,  where  thousands  of  cattle  and  horses  find  shelter 
from  the  storms  of  winter,  and  feed  upon  their  nutritious 
cured  grasses.  As  a  stock-raising  region  Butte  County 
stands  pre-eminent  among  the  counties  of  the  Black  Hills, 
and  in  point  of  numbers  and  quality  of  stock  raised,  is 
easily  the  peer  of  any  section  of  equal  area  in  the  whole 
Wide  West.  According  to  the  assessment  of  1895,  there 
were  in   Butte    and    the  unorganized  counties  attached  to 


678  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 

Butte  for  taxation  purposes,  45,000  head  of  cattle,  and 
10,000  head  of  horses  roaming  over  the  wide  range,  with- 
out artificial  food  or  shelter.  At  a  reasonable  estimate  of 
increase,  there  are  to-day  at  least  60,000  head  of  cattle 
feeding  on  those  ranges.  The  raising  and  shipment  of 
stock  is  the  paramount  industry  of  Butte  County. 

In  1898  Butte  County  had  an  assessed  valuation  of 
$432,557,  a  bonded  indebtedness  of  $14,848.92,  and  out- 
standing warrants  amounting  to  $23,767.48,  making  a  total 
indebtedness  of  only  $38,616.46.  The  commissioners 
appointed  to  organize  the  county  government  were  :  Henry 
Chamberlain,  J.  J.  Woolston,  and  Christian  Flucken. 
The  other  first  county  officers  were:  Harry  Stevens, 
Sheriff;  C.  F.  Johnston,  Register  of  Deeds  and  ex  oflScio 
County  Clerk;  John  Hildebrand,  Treasurer ;  C.  H.  Gores, 
Probate  Judge  ;  Wm.  Mitchell,  Coroner ;  G.  S.  Richards, 
Surveyor;  Geo.  M.  Browning,  Assessor;  Peter  Miller, 
Superintendent  of  Schools.  The  first  meeting  of  the  com- 
missioners was  held  on  July  23d,  1883,  at  Minnesela, 
which,  being  the  first  and  only  town  of  any  importance  in 
the  newly  created  county,  was  naturally  made  the  county 
seat. 

MINNESELA. 

Minnesela,  situated  on  Redwater  creek,  was  laid  out  and 
platted  by  A.  A.  Chouteau  and  D.  T.  Harrison  in  1882,  on 
one  of  the  prettiest  sites  in  all  that  region  of  country. 
Taking  advantage  of  the  superb  water  power  afforded  by 
that  stream,  the  founders  of  the  town  proceeded  without 
delay  to  build  and  equip  with  all  the  best  appliances,  a 
large  flouring  mill,  which,  with  the  additional  prestige 
gained  by  being  made  the  county  seat,  brought  the  town 
into  considerable  importance.  It  maintained  its  position  as 
the  leading  town  of  the  county  and  entrejjot  oi  all  the  cattle 
ranches  of  the  region  until  1891,  when  the  founding  of 
Belle  Fourche  soon  robbed  it  of  that  distinction. 


LAST  HUNTING  GROUND  OF  THK  DAKOTAHS.     67i« 
BELLE  rOURCHE. 

Belle  Fouiche,  the  capital  and  present  metropolis  of 
Butte  County,  is  situated  in  the  valley  of  the  Belle  Fourche 
river  —  from  which  it  derived  its  name  —  about  twenty- 
two  miles  as  the  crow  Hies,  and  twenty-nine  miles  by  rail, 
nearly  north  of  Deadwood,  on  the  line  of  the  Fremont, 
Elkhorn  &  Missouri  Valley  Railway,  to  which  the  town 
owes  its  origin. 

This  railroad  was  completed  to  that  point,  and  the  first 
shipment  of  cattle  made,  on   September    16th,    1890,  and 
during  the  following  two  months  1,300  car   loads   of  beef 
cattle  were  transported  over  the  line  to  Eastern  markets. 
The  station  was  opened  for   business  on   December  28th, 
1890,   in  charge  of  H,  H.  Giles,  and  in  the  spring  of  1891 
Belle  Fourche  was  platted  by  the  Pioneer  Town-site  Co.,  and 
lots  placed  on  the  market  for  sale  on  the  9th  of  June,  1891, 
H.  W.  Brown  purchasing  the  first  lot.    The  town-site  com- 
pany set  the  pace  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  town  by  erect- 
ing a  two-story  frame  building  for  a  hotel,  which   was  fol- 
lowed bv  a  structure  erected  by  Thos.  McCumsey.     From 
the  first  the  town  had  a  steady  and  permanent  growth,  as 
in  the  nature  of    things  it  should    have,  for,  perhaps,  no 
town  in  the  Hills  began  its  history  under  more  promising 
conditions,  in  that  a  speed}-  market  for  the  product  of  the 
region's  chief  industry  had  already  been  brought  to  its  door. 
During  the   first    year,   1891,  several  important  private 
enterprises  were  inaugurated,  among  the  first  of  which  was  a 
large  flouring  plant  known  astheBelleFourcheFlouringMill, 
established  by  B.  F.  Teal  and  F.  E.  Bennett,  expert  millers 
from  the  great  Hour  manufacturing  city    of  Minneapolis. 
The  mill,  which  is  equipped  with  the  most  approved  facil- 
ities, has  a  capacity  of  125  barrels  per  day  of  flour,  manu- 
factured exclusively  from   wheat  grown  in  the  neighboring 
valleys, — which  fact  be  speaks  the  excellenceof  the  product. 
The  water  power  for  operating  the  mil!  is  taken  by  ditch 
from  Redwater  creek  a  short  distance  below. 


680 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 


LAST    HUNTING    OKOUND    OF    THK    OAKOTAIIS.  <)8l 

The  first  newspaper  published  in  Belle  Fouiche,  called 
the  Belle  Fourche  Weekly  Bee,  was  established  in  1891  by 
W.  K.  Fraser  and  Geo.  E.  Hare,  under  the  editorial  man- 
ai^ement  of  the  last  named  member  of  the  firm,  whose 
fluent  pen  was  ever  wielded  in  the  interests  of  Belle  Fourche 
and  Butte  County.  The  average  citizen  of  the  Black  Hills 
needs  no  formal  introduction  to  Geo.  E.  Hare,  as  his  name 
has  been  prominently  before  the  public  for  a  number  of 
years,  having  served  the  people  as  their  representative  in  the 
South  Dakota  State  Legislature  of  1896.  He  will  also  be 
remembered  as  the  captain  of  a  troop  of  the  Rough  Riders 
of  the  Third  Cavalry  Regiment  of  South  Dakota  Volun- 
teers, who  marched  bravely  away  from  Fort  Meade  in  June, 
1898,  to  fight  for  Cuba  Libre.  Of  course  he  never  faced 
the  Mauser  bullets  of  the  Dons,  but  that  wasn't  his  fault, 
you  know.  Later,  under  the  management  of  the  Bee  Pub- 
lishing Company,  the  paper  was  largely  instrumental  in 
securing  the  location  of  the  permanent  county  seat  at  Belle 
Fourche. 

During  the  fall  of  1895  the  "  Bee  "  fell  into  the  proprie- 
torship of  DeKay  Brothers,  publishers  of  the  Whitewood 
Plaindeahr  and  residents  of  Whitewood,  after  which  it 
was  published  for  a  time  as  a  supplement  of  that  paper. 
Later  it  came  into  the  possession  of  its  present  publishers, 
Messrs.  Ralston  &  Glassie. 

In  1892  a  number  of  enterprising  citizens  conceived  and 
set  on  foot  a  project  for  supplying  the  town  with  water 
from  the  great  artesian  basin,  which  was  believed  to  under- 
lie that  portion  of  Dakota.  In  furtherance  of  the  project, 
a  stock  company  was  organized  and  some  $1,500  raised 
for  the  purpose  of  sinking  an  experimental  well.  The 
experiment  proved  successful  beyond  the  most  sanguine 
expectations  of  the  projectors  of  the  enterprise.  An 
encouraging  flow  of  water  was  soon  encountered,  which, 
upon  reaching  the  third  artesian  flow  at  a  depth  of  525 
feet,  increased  to  a  volume  of  100,000  gallons  every 
twenty-four  hours,  affording  an  ample  supply  for  all  pur- 


682  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

poses  of  pure,  soft,  wholesome  water.  This  artesian  well 
is  the  source  of  supply  for  the  present  water  system  of  the 
town. 

At  the  fall  election  of  1894,  Belle  Fourche  was  made 
the  permanent  county  seat  of  Butte  County  by  popular  vote, 
and  during  the  same  year  a  substantial  two-story  court- 
house was  built  by  the  citizens  of  the  new  capital,  without 
cost  to  the  count}^  which  gave  the  town  a  new  impetus. 

On  September  25th,  1895,  however,  its  progress  was 
arrested  by  a  disastrous  conflagration,  which  wiped  out 
over  two-thirds  of  the  business  portion  of  the  town. 
Nothing  daunted  by  the  calamity,  the  losers,  with  charac- 
teristic Western  pluck,  were  within  twenty-four  hours 
thereafter,  hard  at  work  among  the  smoldering  ruins, 
clearing  away  the  blackened  debris,  preparatory  to  rebuild- 
ing, and  in  three  months  after  the  fire,  buildings  aggre- 
gating in  value  over  $25,000  were  erected  or  nearing 
completion  in  the  burnt  district. 

Soon  after  the  founding  of  the  town  in  the  spring  of 
1891,  a  school  district  was  organized,  and  subsequently  a 
commodious  two-story  school  building,  constructed  of  home 
manufactured  brick,  was  erected,  which  to-day  affords 
ample  educational  facilities  for  the  children  of  the  town. 
Besides  the  courthouse  and  public  school  building  Belle 
Fourche  has  two  neat  church  edifices,  owned  respectively 
by  the  Congregational  and  Methodist  societies.  It  also  has 
several  secret  organizations,  among  which  are  Masonic  and 
Odd  Fellows,  and  other  lodges. 

The  present  Butte  County  Bank,  of  which  John  Clay,  Jr., 
is  President,  and  J.  F.  Summers,  Cashier,  was  established 
in  October,  1891,  since  which  time  the  institution  has  had 
a  somewhat  eventful  history.  The  first  building  erected 
by  the  bank  went  up  in  smoke,  on  September  25th,  1895, 
when  the  two-storied  stone  structure  now  occupied  by  the 
institution  was  built  upon  the  ashes  of  the  old.  On  June 
28th,  1897,  a  bold  raid  was  made  upon  the  bank  by  a  band 
of  six   robbers,    who,  after  securing  a  comparatively  small 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    TIIK    DAKOTAIIS.  ')8H 

amount  of  its  assets,  made  good  their  escape.  Four  of 
them  were  afterwards  captured. 

Belle  Fourche  now  affords  patronage  for  two  newspaper.^, 
viz.:  the  Belle  Fourche  Bee,  whose  history  has  been  noted, 
and  the  Belle  Fourche  Times.  The  latter  was  established 
by  Messrs.  Battenberd  &  Martin,  early  in  1896,  the  initial 
number  appearing  on  January  2d  of  that  year,  and  the  fact 
that  Chester  Martin  conducts  the  editorial  department  of  the 
sheet  is  a  sufficient  guaranty  for  its  complete  success.  The 
writer  of  this  history  put  Chester  through  a  three  years' 
course  of  sprouts,  when  he  was  a  big,  brainy  lad,  well  up 
in  his  teens,  and,  well,  you  know  the  old  adage:  "  Just  as 
the  twig  is  bent  the  tree  inclines."  The  paper  is  now 
owned  by  Martin  &  Shocklay. 

By  a  conservative  estimate,  Belle  Fourche  has  500  per- 
manent inhabitants  who,  together  with  the  rural  popula- 
tion of  the  valleys,  keep  up  the  life  of  trade  for  at  least 
eight  months  of  the  year.  The  town  bears  no  suggestion 
of  metropolitanism,  and  makes  no  parade  or  bluster,  except 
during  the  shipping  season.  Its  business  houses,  bank, 
offices,  hotels,  stores,  and  shops,  for  the  most  part  occupy 
a  comparatively  small  space  along  the  main  street,  while 
the  resident  portion  lies  on  the  outer  limits,  where  neat 
frame  structures  surrounded  b}'  well-kept  yards  bespeak 
the  general  thrift  of  the  people.  The  business  of  Belie 
Fourche  does  not  depend  upon  the  local  every-day  trade 
but  largely  upon  that  of  the  many  cattle  outfits  Avhich  peri- 
odically come  from  long  distances  to  replenish  their  stock 
of  supplies. 

Belle  Fourche,  being  the  most  accessible  shipping  point 
for  the  great  herds  of  beef  cattle,  raised  on  the  wide  range 
which  stretches  away  to  the  north,  and  into  Southeastern 
Montana  and  Western  Wyoming,  is  by  far  the  most  im- 
portant shipping  station  in  the  Northwest.  For  the  years 
1896,  1897,  1898,  there  were  shipped  from  that  station  to 
Eastern  markets,  7,500  carloads  of  beef  cattle,  amounting 
in  the  aoorregate  to  something  over  five  and  one-half  million 


684  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

dollars,  which,  of  course,  proved  a  source  of  large  revenue 
to  the  town.  All  of  the  cattle  outfits  and  ranchmen,  within 
a  radius  of  100  miles  north  and  west,  make  Belle  Fourche 
their  supply  point,  creating  a  large  volume  of  trade  for 
business  houses  of  all  kinds. 

CATTLE    SHIPPING    INDUSTRY. 

During  the  shipping  season,  which  begins  usually  some 
time  in  August,  and  ends  about  the  last  of  November,  Belle 
Fourche  presents  a  iitirring  and  exciting  scene,  and  what 
with  the  awful  bellowing  of  the  great  herds  as  they  are 
l)eing  rushed  into  the  crowded  cattle  pens,  to  await  their 
turns  to  be  driven  aboard  the  cars  alongside,  and  the  sud- 
den brilliant  dashes  of  the  picturesque  cowboys  after  the 
recalcitrant  bovines,  which  now  and  then  escape  from  the 
lines,  pandemonium  reigns  supreme.  During  these  cattle 
carnivals,  the  cowboy  is  very  much  in  evidence  everywhere, 
and  wherever  the  cowboy  is  in  force  times  are  bound  to 
be  exceedingly  lively.  I  must  confess  here  to  something 
of  an  admiration  for  cowboys  despite  their  faults.  Of 
course,  they  have  been  known  to  fire  random  shots  as  they 
dashed  along  the  streets  of  certain  towns  of  the  Hills  in 
the  early  days,  and  to  ride  their  bronchos,  rough-shod, 
through  the  doors  and  up  to  the  bars  of  saloons,  and  such 
playful  pranks,  but,  after  all,  they  are,  in  many  respects, 
very  manly  fellows.  They  are  perfect  types  of  muscular 
development,  endure  hardships  that  would  kill  an  ordinary 
mortal,  are  dead  shots  and  the  most  expert  horsemen  in 
the  world.  Moreover,  they  love  their  bronchos  better  than 
anything  else  earthly,  and  regard  horse-stealing  as  the 
meanest  crime  known  to  the  unwritten  law  of  the  range. 
The  average  cowboy  is  honest,  kindhearted,  generous  to  a 
fault,  and,  in  short,  is  not  half  so  bad  as  he  is  painted. 

BUILDING    OF    WYOMING    X'    MISSOURI    RIVER  R.  R. 

An  enterprise  which  promises  much  future  commercial 
importance  to  Belle  Fourche,  is  the  recent  building  of  the 


LAST    HUNTINC    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAILS.  685 

Wyoming  and  Missouri  River  Railroad  from  that  point  to 
the  Hay  creek  coal  fields,  situated  about  eighteen  miles 
southwest,  just  over  the  eastern  boundary  line  of  Wyoming. 
Ever  since  the  discovery  of  coal  in  that  region  in  187(), 
when  hostile  Indians  were  much  more  plentiful  in  those 
parts  than  white  men,  the  possibility  of  a  railroad  to  the 
mines  has  been  a  dream  of  their  owners.  Facilities  for 
putting  the  product  of  these  mines  on  the  market,  the  lack 
of  which  has  heretofore  greatly  retarded  their  develop- 
ment, are  now  furnished.  After  years  of  waiting  the 
road  is  a  consummated  fact. 

A  company  of  Eastern  capitalists  organized  under  the  title 
of  The  Wyoming  and  Missouri  River  Railroad  Co.,  with  Geo. 
M.  Nix  as  president,  and  in  June,  1898,  the  work  of  grading 
was  commenced  along  the  line  of  the  road,  which  was  fully 
completed  and  equipped  by  January  1st,  1899.  The  suc- 
cessful carrying  out  of  this  project  may  be  looked  upon 
only  as  the  beginning  of  the  end,  the  promise  of  things 
yet  to  come. 

The  product  of  the  mines,  which  made  the  building  of 
this  line  possible,  is  bituminous  in  character,  but  of  a 
dense  texture  and  splendid  quality,  and  will  find  a  good 
demand  in  the  Hills  for  fuel  and  gold  reduction  purposes, 
as  also,  now  that  facilities  for  transportation  are  furnished, 
a  ready  outside  market  for  long  years  to  come.  Of  course, 
the  full  extent  and  future  productiveness  of  the  coal 
measures  underlying  that  region  of  the  Hills,  can  hardl}' 
be  estimated  in  their  present  stage  of  development,  but  it 
is  believed  by  geologists  that  the  deposit  is  practically 
inexhaustible. 

CATTLE  OUTFITS  OF  BLACK  HILLS. 

Besides  those  mentioned  the  other  settlements  of  Butte 
County  are:  Snoma,  Butte,  Vale,  and  Empire,  situated  on 
the  Belle  Fourche  river. 

The    cattle    outfits   which    ship  stock   from  Black  Hills 


686 


THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OR, 


stations,  the    major  part  of  which  is  shipped    from  Belle 
Fourche,  are  as  follows  :  — 


Range. 
Little  Missouri 


Moreau  River 


Bad  River 


White  River 


Cheyenne  River 


Box  Elder... 
Battle  Creek, 
Sand  Hills.. 


Hat  Creek. 
Deer  Ear . . 


No.  OK 

Owners.  Head. 

.  .The  Franklin  Live  Stock  Co 25,000 

.  .The  Y.  T.  Cattle  Co 8,000 

.  .James  M.  Carey 10,000 

.  .Driscoll  Bros 5,000 

.  .  Standard  Cattle  Co 12,000 

.  .The  Sheidly  Cattle  Co 30,000 

.  .Lake  Tomb  and  Lemmon 25,000 

..M.J.  Barclay 2,000 

.  .  Sam  Sheffield 2,000 

.  .  C.  K.  Howard 10,000 

.  .  Peter  Duhamel 10,000 

.  .  Scott  Phillips 4,000 

.  .  Corbin  Morris 10,000 

. .  Maurice  Kelliher 8,000 

. .  Major  W.  W.  Anderson 5,000 

. .  J.  M.  Humphrey 5,000 

.  .H.  A.  Dawson 4,000 

.  .E.  Holcomb 10,000 

.  .Fred  Holcomb 4,000 

.  .  Laddingen  Bros 2,000 

.  .  Frank  Stewart 2,000 

. .  F.  C.  Huss 2,000 

.  .  Connor  Bros 8,000 

.  .Ed.  Stenger 4,000 

.  .G.  G.  Ware 4,000 

.  .Bartlett  Richards 8,000 

.  .T.  B.  Irwin 2,000 

.  .Chas.  Lampkin 2,000 

..J.  A.  Hale 2,000 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAH.S.  687 


CHAPTER    XLY. 

THE   ORGANIZATION   OF   DAKOTA   TERRITORY   AND   ITS   SUB- 
SEQUENT  STRUGGLE   FOR   STATEHOOD. 

Out  of  the  fairest  and  best  portions  of  the  vast  domain 
acquired  by  the  United  States  from  France  during  the  third 
year  of  the  present  century  —  known  as  the  "Louisiana 
Purchase" — was  the  Dakota  Territory  created.  The 
treaty  for  the  cession  of  this  valuable  acquisition  of  terri- 
tory, which  extended  from  the  Mississippi  river  on  the  East 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains  on  the  West,  and  from  the  British 
Dominion  on  the  North  to  the  Great  Gulf  on  the  South,  was 
negotiated  and  entered  into  by  Mr.  Livingstone,  then 
United  States  resident  Minister  at  Paris,  and  James  Mon- 
roe, who  was  sent  thither  for  the  purpose,  and  a  French 
commission,  in  April,  1803.  By  the  terms  of  this  treaty 
the  United  States  agreed  to  pay  the  French  government 
the  sum  of  $15,000,000,  and  to  assume  claims  of  American 
citizens  against  that  government  to  the  amount  of 
$11,250,000. 

By  reference  to  any  modern  United  States  History,  com- 
plete information  in  reference  to  claims  as  to  the  original 
ownership  of  this  ceded  territory,  its  cession  by  France  to 
Spain,  its  retrocession  by  Spain  to  France,  its  cession  by 
the  latter  to  the  United  States,  and  the  subsequent  carving 
and  recarving  of  the  generous  domain  into  Territories  and 
States,  with  all  the  prolonged  bitter  struggle  for  the 
extension  and  restriction  of  slavery  in  connection  there- 
with, may  be  obtained;  hence,  any  further  recital  of  facts 
already  a  matter  of  common  history  svould  be  superfluous. 

SIOUX    TREATIES. 

When  the  States  formed  from  the  Northwest  Territory 
began  to  till  up,  the  Sioux,  having  in  1837  ceded   all  their 


688  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    Oil, 

lands  east  of  the  Mississippi  river  to  the  government,  were 
transferred  to  reservations  on  the  other  side  of  the  Fatlier 
of  Waters,  from  which  time  all  that  portion  of  the  Louisi- 
ana Purchase  not  included  in  the  State  of  Missouri  and  the 
Territory  of  Arkansas  was  regarded  and  named  the 
"  Indian  Country." 

Ill  1851  a  treaty  was  concluded  by  which  the  Sioux  ceded 
to  the  United  States  an  immense  extent  of  territory,  west 
of  the  Mississippi  river,  which  included  a  narrow  strip  of 
land  along  the  eastern  border  of  Dakota,  covering  the 
present  sites  of  Sioux  Falls,  Flandreau,  and  Medary,  —  the 
first  piece  of  land  relinquished  by  them  in  what  is  now  the 
State  of  South  Dakota.  Owing  to  what  the  Indians 
regarded  as  "  bad  faith  "  on  the  part  of  the  government 
in  fulfilling  the  conditions  of  the  treaty,  years  of  Indian 
hostilities  followed,  during  which  the  soil  of  Minnesota  was 
freely  dyed  with  the  blood  of  its  settlers.  They  were 
finally  encountered  and  subdued  b}'  Gen.  Harney  at  the 
battle  of  Little  Blue  Water  in  September,  1855,  and  a 
treaty  of  peace  followed,  which,  however,  secured  only  a 
temporary  peace,  as  hostilities  broke  out  from  time  to  time, 
which  were  finally  suppressed  by  Gen.  Sibley  in  1863. 

In  1858  the  final  treaty,  by  which  the  Sioux  relinquished 
to  the  United  States  all  territory  claimed  b}'  them  in  what 
is  now  South  Dakota,  was  negotiated.  In  the  fall  of  1857 
they  were  persuaded  through  the  influence  of  J.  B.  S.  Todd, 
then  post  trader  at  Fort  Randall,  assisted  by  Chas.  F. 
Picotte,  to  send  a  delegation  of  chiefs  to  Washington  to 
confer  with  the  Indian  Department,  which,  in  April,  1858, 
culminated  in  the  negotiation  of  a  treaty  ceding  every 
square  acre  of  their  land,  except  the  present  Yankton 
reservation,  to  the  United  States. 

Upon  the  consummation  of  the  treaty,  —  even  before 
its  ratification,  many,  who  were  eagerly  waiting  at  the 
threshold  for  the  quashing  of  the  Indian  title,  crossed  the 
line  and  settled  upon  the  ceded  lands,  and  built  cabins,  but 
they  were  summarily  driven  off  by  the  Indians  and  their 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THK    DAKOTAIIS.  ()89 

cabins  destroyed.  Upon  the  advent  in  July  of  the  agent, 
A.  H.  Reddeld,  of  Detroit,  Michigan,  who  was  appointed 
to  take  charge  of  Indian  affairs,  buildings  were  erected  and 
the  Indians  speedily  removed  to  the  agencies  set  apart  for 
them.  This  done,  hirge  numbers  settled  upon  the  land, 
locating  principally  at  Elk  Point,  Vermillion  and  Yankton, 
near  the  junction  of  the  Big  Sioux  and  Missouri  rivers. 

Prior  to  the  treaty  of  1858,  attempts  had  been  made  to  lo- 
cate on  this  territory,  but  the  would-be  settlers  were  promptly 
driven  off  by  the  hostile  Sioux.  The  first  attempt  at  settle- 
ment was  made  in  the  region  of  the  Sioux  Falls,  as  early  as 
1856  by  what  was  known  as  "  The  Western  Town  Com- 
pany," from  Dubuque,  Iowa.  Prominent  among  its  mem- 
bers were  W.  W.  Brookings,  Dr.  J.  L.  Phillips,  and  John 
McCIellan,  who,  despite  the  inhospitable  reception  accorded 
them  by  the  natives  at  the  first  attempt,  returned,  a  few- 
months  later  of  the  same  year,  and  located  a  half-section 
of  land  near  the  Falls,  —  perhaps  the  very  ground  upon 
which  the  metropolis  of  South  Dakota  now  stands,  and  to 
them,  doubtless,  belongs  the  distinction  of  having  located 
the  first  acre  of  grround  in  South  Dakota. 

Again,  in  May,  1857,  a  company  styled  "  The  Dakota 
Land  Company"  composed  of  W.  H.  Nobles,  S.  A. 
Medary,  E.  J.  De  Witt,  A.  G.  Fuller,  Samuel  F.  Brown, 
Jas.  W.  Lynd,  and  others,  hailing  from  St.  Paul,  Min- 
nesota, made  their  advent  in  the  valley  of  the  Big  Sioux 
river,  and  first  located  Medary,  named  in  honor  of  the 
Governor  of  Minnesota,  thence  proceeding  down  the  valley 
they  located  the  town-site  of  Flandreau,  named  in  honor 
of  Judge  Flandreau,  of  St.  Paul.  Subsequently  some  of 
the  party  extended  their  explorations  down  the  river  to 
the  Falls  where  they  found  just  two  of  the  early  pioneers, 
W.  W.  Brookings  and  John  McCIellan,  who  had  returned 
and  tenaciously  stayed  by  their  claims.  How  long  this 
last  party  were  suffered  to  remain  unmolested,  in  the 
valley  of  the  Big  Sioux,  is  not  known  —  supposedly  not 
long. 

44 


690  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

The  settlers  oa  the  ceded  territory,  tinding  themselves 
without  constituted  authority  to  exercise  the  political  func- 
tions, proceeded  at  once  to  organize  a  provisional  territorial 
government.  On  September  18th,  1858,  the  people  of  the 
Territory  assembled  in  convention  at  Sioux  Falls,  and  by 
resolution  authorized  an  election  to  be  held  on  the  4th  day 
of  October,  for  choosing  members  to  compose  a  Provisional 
Legislature.  At  the  first  session  of  the  Provisional  Legisla- 
ture, Henry  Masters  was  chosen  President  of  the  Council, 
and  S.  J.  Albright,  Speaker  of  the  House,  and  moreover, 
it  is  related  that  Henry  Masters  was  also  elected  Governor 
of  the  irregularly  organized  Territory.  During  its  session 
a  memorial  to  Congress  was  formulated,  praying  for  a  reg- 
ularly organized  territorial  government,  and  A.  G.  Fuller 
was  selected  to  represent  the  petitioners   before  that  body. 

In  1859  similar  memorials  were  prepared  and  adopted  at 
Yankton  and  Vermillion,  for  territorial  organization,  to 
which  Congress  turned  a  deaf  ear.  Again,  on  the  15th  of 
January,  1861,  a  final  mass  convention  of  the  settlers  as- 
sembled at  Yankton  and  prepared  an  urgent  memorial  to 
Congress,  which  was  sent  to  Washington  bearing  the  signa- 
tures of  nearly  600  people.  At  last,  in  February,  1861, 
on  the  eve  of  the  great  Civil  War,  the  Organic  Act  creat- 
ing the  Territory  of  Dakota,  was  passed  and  approved  by 
President  Buchanan  on  March  2(1,  1861. 

The  original  Dakota  Territory  comprised  not  only  the 
present  States  of  North  and  South  Dakota,  but,  besides  the 
whole  of  the  State  of  Montana,  the  greater  portion  of 
Wyoming  and  the  eastern  half  of  Idaho,  embracing  an  area 
of  some  350,000  square  miles,  constituting  the  largest 
organized  Territory  in  the  United  States. 

In  April,  1861,  Dr.  Wm.  Jayne,  of  Springfield,  Illinois, 
was  appointed  the  first  executive  of  the  Territory  of 
Dakota  by  President  Lincoln,  arriving  at  Yankton,  to  enter 
upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  on  May  27tb,  1861.  On 
the  17th  of  March,  1862,  the  first  Territorial  Legislature 
convened    at  Yankton,  the  capitid    city.     According  to    a 


LAST    IIUNTIN(f    GROUND    OF    THK    DAIvOTAIIS.  691 

census  taken  at  the  time  the  population  of  the  Territory, 
iu  the  spring  of  18G2,  numbered  something  less  than 
3,000. 

Appended  is  a  complete  list  of  the  first  officers  of  the 
new  Territory :  — 

Wm.  Jayne,  of  Illinois,  Governor;  John  Hutchinson,  of 
Minnesota,  Secretary  ;  Philomen  Bliss,  of  Ohio,  Chief 
Justice  ;  L.  P.  Williston,  of  Pennsylvania  and  J.  L.  Will- 
iams, of  Tennessee,  District  Judges;  \V.  E.  Gleason,  of 
Maryland,  United  States  Attorney ;  W.  P.  Schaffer,  United 
States  Marshal;  Geo.  D.  Hill,  of  Michigan,  United  States 
Surgeon-General;  W.  A.  Burleigh,  of  Pennsylvania, 
United  States  Agent  for  Yankton  Indians:  H.  A.  Hoff- 
man, of  New  York,  Agent  for  the  Poncas. 

Members  of  the  first  Territorial  Legislature  were  as  fol- 
lows: — 

In  the  Council:  John  H.  Shober,  President;  James 
Tufts,  Secretary;  W.  R.  Goodfellow,  Engrossing  and  En- 
rolling Clerk;  Rev.  S.  W.  Ingham,  Chaplain;  Charles  F. 
Picotte,  Sergeant-at-Arms  ;  E.  B.  Wixon,  Messenger;  W. 
W.  Warford,  Fireman. 

House:  Geo.  M.  Pinney,  Speaker;  J.  R.  Hanson,  Chief 
Clerk;  James  M.  Allen,  Assistant  Clerk;  Daniel  Gift'ord, 
Enrolling  Clerk;  M.  B.  Smith,  Engrossing  Clerk;  M.  I). 
Metcalf,  Chaplain;  James  Somers,  Sergeant-at-Arms;  A. 
B.  Smith,  Messenger;  Ole  Anderson,  Fireman. 

Conditions  during  the  first  four  years  of  the  existence  of 
Dakota  Territory  were  by  no  means  favorable  to  its  growth 
and  advancement.  In  the  summer  of  1862,  just  after  the 
machinery  of  the  Territorial  Government  was  put  in  suc- 
cessful operation,  the  most  aggressive  hostilities  known  to 
the  West  broke  out  among  the  Sioux,  which  greatly  retarded 
the  settlement  of  the  new  Territory. 

Notwithstanding  this  drawback,  and  the  fact  that  the 
people  of  the  North  had  meanwhile  grappled  with,  and  put 
down  a  mighty  rebellion,  and  the  further  fact  that,  in  1862, 
the  great  Territory  of  Idaho  was  constructed  out  of  Dakota, 


692  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

which  turned  the  tide  of  emigration  to  the  newly  dis- 
covered gold  mines  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Kocky 
Mountains,  and  subsequently  the  carving  out  of  Wyoming 
in  1868,  the  population  of  Dakota  had  expanded  from  2,400 
in  1862,  to  14,181  in  1870. 

The  close  of  the  first  decade  developed  a  general  desire 
on  the  part  of  the  people  of  the  southern  half  of  the  Ter- 
ritory for  division  and  Statehood  from  which  time  until 
its  accomplishment  in  1889,  it  stood  waiting  and  periodically 
knocking  at  the  door  of  Congress  for  admission.  The 
first  movement  to  that  end  was  made  in  January,  1871, 
when  a  memorial  to  Congress  was  adopted,  praying  for 
division  on  the  forty-sixth  parallel.  To  make  a  long  story 
short,  similar  memorials  were  adopted  successively  in  1872 
and  1874,  and  again  in  January,  1877.  From  this  time 
the  Black  Hills  was  a  potent  factor  in  the  movement  for 
division  —  whose  people  for  the  most  part  favored  atripar- 
tition  of  the  Territory,  the  Black  Hills  to  be  one  of  the 
triplets. 

In  1881  Congress  was  memorialized  to  divide  the  Ter- 
ritory  into  three  States,  but  at  no  time  was  admission  as 
one  State  desired  by  many. 

As  petitions  were  unavailing,  a  large  number  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  the  Territory  visited  Washington,  dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1881-2,  and  urged  upon  Congress  the 
enactment  of  a  law  enabling  South  Dakota  to  form  a  State 
Constitution,  but,  although  a  bill  to  that  effect  was  favor- 
ably reported  in  committee,  it  did  not  become  a  law. 

The  removal  of  the  territorial  capital  from  Yankton  to 
Bismarck,  at  this  time,  it  having  held  its  last  session  at 
Yankton  in  1883,  by  no  means  lessened  the  desire  for  State- 
hood on  the  part  of  South  Dakota,  so  the  people,  having 
resolved  to  work  out  the  problem  without  the  aid  or  con- 
sent of  Congress,  called  a  convention  to  be  held  at  Sioux 
Falls  on  September  4th,  1883,  for  the  purpose  of  framing 
a  State  Constitution.  The  people  were  represented  by  150 
delegates  who  formulated  a  document  which  was  submitted 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    TlIK    DAKOTAHS.  093 

to  the  voters  at  the  leguhvr  November  election,  resulting  in 
a  majority  of  5,622  votes  in  its  favor. 

Again,  in  pursuance  of  an  Act  passed  by  the  Territorial 
Legislature,  providing  for  same,  another  Constitutional 
Convention  was  held  at  Sioux  Falls  on  September  8th, 
1885,  when  a  new  Constitution  was  framed,  and  submitted 
to  the  people  at  the  next  general  election,  which  was 
this  time  ratified  by  a  majority  of  18,661  votes.  State 
ofiicers  and  a  Legislature  were  also  elected,  Arthur  C.  Mel- 
lette being  chosen  as  chief  executive  of  the  provisional 
State  government.  On  the  second  Monday  of  December, 
1885,  the  Legislature  met  at  Huron,  the  temporary  capital, 
and  during  its  session  elected  G.  C.  Moody  of  Lawrence 
County,  and  A.  J.  Edgerton  of  Mitchell,  United  States 
Senators. 

As  no  congressional  action  was  taken  in  the  matter, 
these  various  popular  movements  brought  South  Dakota  no 
nearer  a  State  government  Je/ac/o  than  before.  At  last, 
however,  after  a  prolonged  and  bitter  struggle  of  eighteen 
years  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  the  southern  half  of  the 
Territory,  North  and  South  Dakota  came  to  the  parting  of 
the  ways,  and,  together  with  Montana  and  Washington, 
were  admitted  on  an  equal  footing  to  the  sisterhood  of 
States,  under  the  provisions  of  the  famous  "Omnibus 
Bill,"    approved  February    22nd,   1889. 

According  to  the  provisions  of  the  Enabling  Act,  elections 
were  held  on  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  May,  1889, 
for  the  election  of  delegates  for  Constitutional  Conventions 
for  North  and  South  Dakota,  to  be  held  at  Bismarck,  and 
Sioux  Falls,  respectively  on  the  fourth  day  of  July,  188i>. 
With  certain  revisions  and  amendments,  the  Sioux  Falls 
Convention  adopted  the  constitution  of  the  provisional 
State  government  of  1885,  which  was  again  submitted  to 
the  electors  of  the  State  and  approved  by  a  sweeping 
majority.  The  members  of  the  Third  Constitutional  Con- 
vention from  the  Black  Hills  were:  D.  Carson  and  Chas. 
W.  Thomas,  Deadwood  ;  C.  L.  Wood  and  V.  T.  McGilli- 


694  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OK, 

cuddy,  Kapid  City:  John  Scollard,  Sturgis;  W.  S. 
O'Brien,  Lead;  J.  W.  Thompson,  Whitewood  ;  Sandford 
Parker,  Oelrichs. 

The  first  Legislature  of  the  State  of  South  Dakota  met  at 
Pierre,  the  temporary  capital,  which  has  since  become 
permanent,  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  October,  1889,  and  on 
the  seventeenth  elected  G.  C.  Moody  of  Deadvvood ;  and 
R.  F.  Pettigrew  of  Sioux  Falls,  United  States  Senators. 

On  receipt  of  a  certified  copy  of  the  Constitution,  a* 
ratified  by  the  qualified  electors  of  the  State,  Benjamin 
Harrison,  by  proclamation  on  the  2d  day  of  November, 
1889,  declared  the  admission  of  North  and  South  Dakota 
complete. 

The  first  State  officers  of  South  Dakota  were:  Governor, 
Arthur  C.  Mellette ;  Lieutenant-Governor,  James  H. 
Fletcher  ;  Secretary  of  State,  A.  O.  Ringsrud  :  State  Treas- 
urer, W.  F.  Smith;  State  Auditor,  Louis  C,  Taylor;  At- 
torney-General, Robert  Dollard  ;  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  Gilbert  L,  Pinkham  ;  Commissioner  of  School 
and  Public  Lands,  Osmer  H.  Parker;  Public  Examiner,  H. 
E.  Blanchard;  Commissioner  of  Immigration,  F.  H. 
Hagerty  ;  Veterinary  Surgeon,  Dr.  D.  E.  Collins. 

Members  of  the  first  State  Legislature  of  South  Dakota 
from  the  Black  Hills  were :  — 

Of  the  Senate  :  Frank  J.  Washabaugh  and  Chas.  Par- 
sons, Lawrence  County:  A.  W.  Bangs,  Pennington; 
Edward  S.  Galvin,  Meade;   A.  S.  Stewart,  Fall  River. 

Of  the  House  :  Cyrus  Cole  and  A.  S.  May,  Custer  County  ; 
H.  A.  Godard,  Fall  River  ;R.  B.  Hughes  and  Joseph  Jolly, 
Pennington;  W.  S.  O'Brien,  Sol.  Star,  John  Wolzmuth, 
W.  H.  Parker,  Jas.  Anderson,  and  Robert  Graham,  of 
Lawrence  ;  M.  M.  Cooper  and  S.  B.  Miller,  of  Meade;  E. 
B.  Cummings,  of  Butte;  Speaker  of  House,  S.  E.  Young, 
of  Minnehaha. 

The  first  representatives  to  Congress  were :  Oscar  S. 
Gilford,  of  Canton,  and  John  H.  Pickler,  of  Faulkton. 

It  was  a  proud  day  for  South  Dakota  when,  with  its  vast 


LAST    TIL'XTINC    (iUOUX'l)    OF    THK    DAKOTAHS.  695 

heritage  of  productive  acres,  it  figiinitively  shouldered  its 
equitable  burden  of  the  Territorial  bonded  indebtedness, 
including  more  than  $70,000,000,  on  account  of  public 
institutions  falling  within  its  boundaries,  and  went  out 
from  beneath  the  Territorial  roof  to  assume  the  dignity  and 
responsibilities  of  Statehood.  How  well  it  has  fulfilled  its 
obligations  and  maintained  its  credit  during  its  decade  of 
history,  which  comprised  years  of  great  financial  depression 
throughout  the  land,  is  attested  by  its  present  flourishing 
condition. 

In  the  beginning-  of  1895  South  Dakota  was  shocked  at 
finding  itself  on  the  brink  of  financial  ruin,  wrought  by 
the  enormous  defalcation  of  the  custodian  of  the  funds  of 
the  State, — with  a  depleted  treasury,  and  a  burden  of 
floating  and  bonded  indebtedness  of  $1,260,200,  In  Janu- 
ary, 1897,  according  to  the  report  of  the  State  Auditor, 
the  net  indebtedness  had  been  decreased  to  $983,168.31 
showing  a  reduction  for  the  two  years  of  $277,031.49. 
In  July,  1898,  it  had  been  reduced  to  $564,018.88,  show- 
ing a  decrease  of  $419,149.63,  altogether  showing  an  ad- 
vantage to  the  State  of  $696,181.12 — exclusive  of  trust 
funds  from  January,  1895,  to  July,  1898,  which  speaks 
volumes  for  the  resources  of  the  grand  young  State, 

ASSESSED    VALUATION    OF    SOUTH    DAKOTA. 

According  to  the  same  report  there  are  17,779,804  acres 
of  land  assessed  in  South  Dakota,  at  a  total  valuation,  as 
adjusted  by  the  State  Board  of  Equalization,  of  $71,779,804, 
or  an  average  of  $4.05  per  acre,  far  less  than  half  its  actual 
value.  The  assessed  valuation  of  town  lots  is  $14,844,959, 
making  a  total  land  valuation  of  $86,624,763.  The  assessed 
valuation  of  personal  property  is  $22,315,819;  railroads 
within  the  State,  $9,328,053  ;  express,  telegraph,  telephone, 
and  sleeping  car  companies,  $311,861,  making  a  total  State 
assessment  of  $118,580,496,  of  which  $10,729,482  or 
nearly  one-eleventh  of  the  whole  amount  is  assessed  within 
the  limits  of  the  six  Black  Hills  counties. 


•^96  THE    BLACK    HILLS;     OK, 

SOUTH    DAKOTA    PERMANENT    SCHOOL    FUND. 

By  ii  wise  provision  of  the  "bill"  admitting  South 
Dakota  to  Statehood,  sections  16  and  36,  or  1,280  acres  of 
land  in  each  township  of  the  State,  —  or  their  equivalent  in 
indemnity  lands  —  excepting  the  Indian,  military,  or  other 
mational  reservations,  were  granted  to  the  State  for  the 
support  of  its  common  schools.  Of  the  nearly  50,000,000 
4icres  of  land  embraced  within  its  boundary  lines,  it  is 
estimated  that  more  than  2,000,000  of  acres  are  school 
lands,  which,  at  $10.00  per  acre,  —  the  minimum  price  at 
which  it  may  be  sold,  would  amount  to  the  handsome  sum 
of  $20,000,000  ;  and  as,  by  the  laws  governing  the  sale  of 
these  lands,  no  more  than  one-fourth  can  be  sold  within 
five  years,  nor  more  than  one-half  of  the  remainder,  within 
ten  years  after  they  become  salable,  their  value  will  ulti- 
mately more  than  double  that  amount. 

The  fund  arising  from  the  rental  and  sale  of  these  lands 
constitutes  a  permanent  common  school  fund,  the  interest 
only  of  which  can  be  expended  for  their  support.  This, 
together  with  the  five  per  centum  of  the  proceeds  of  the 
sale  of  public  lands  paid  to  the  State  by  the  general  gov- 
ernment, will  accumulate  into  a  perpetual  school  fund  of 
immense  proportions. 

In  January,  1895,  the  total  amount  in  the  permanent 
school  fund  Avas  $603,250.57,  all  of  which  was  invested. 
In  July,  1898,  the  investment  amounted  to  $802,822.74, 
and  money  on  hand,  $144,329.41,  making  a  total  of 
$947,152.15,  while  there  was  due  the  fund  from  deferred 
payments  from  the  sale  of  lands,  $1,302,372.89  upon  which 
interest  is  accruing  at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent  per  annum. 

The  Act  also  granted  to  the  State  an  aggregate  of  a  half 
million  acres  of  land  for  the  support  of  its  educational  and 
charitable  institutions,  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  which 
constitute  a  permanent  fund  for  their  maintenance. 


LAST    m'NTINO    (iKQLM)    OF    TIIK    I>AKOTAllS.  GH7 


C  HATTER     XLVI. 

THE  TRP:aTV  of  188'J  FOR  THE  GREAT  SIOUX  RESERVATION  IN 

DAKOTA. 

The  Act  of  Congress,  approved  March  2,  1889,  dividing 
;uid  setting  apart  a  portion  of  the  Great  Sioux  Reserva- 
tion in  Dakota,  into  separate  reservations  for  the  Indians 
•entitled  to  receive  rations  and  annuities  at  Pine  Ridge, 
Rosebud,  Standing  Rock,  Cheyenne  river,  Jjower  Brule, 
and  Crow  Creek  Agencies,  also  secured  the  relinquishment 
of  the  Indian  title  to  all  lands  outside  of  these  separate 
reservations,  amounting  to  about  9,000,000  acres,  corapris- 
iusr  some  of  the  best  lands  in  Dakota,  which  was  thrown 
open  to  entry  under  the  provisions  of  the  Homestead  law, 
to  bona  fide  settlers. 

By  the  provisions  of  the  Act,  each  settler  is  required  to 
pay,  in  addition  to  the  fee  and  commission  on  ordinary 
homesteads,  $1.25  per  acre  for  all  land  sold  within  the  first 
three  years  after  the  taking  effect  of  this  Act,  and  seventy- 
five  cents  per  acre  for  all  disposed  of  within  the  next  two 
years  thereafter,  and  fifty  cents  per  acre  for  the  residue, 
sections  sixteen  and  thirty-two  being  reserved  for  school 
purposes. 

For  this  ceded  land  the  government  deposited  in  the 
Treasury  of  the  United  States,  to  the  credit  of  the  Sioux 
Nation,  $3,000,000,  drawing  interest  at  five  per  cent  per 
annum,  which  interest  is  appropriated  under  the  direction 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  to  the  use  of  the  Indians 
receiving  rations  and  annuities  at  the  agencies  created  by 
the  Act.  One-half  of  the  interest  accruing  is  expended 
for  the  promotion  of  education,  industrial  and  otherwise, 
among  the  Indians  :  and  the  other  half  in  such  manner 
and  for  such  purpose,  as,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Secretary 


698  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

of  the  Interior,  shall  most  contribute  to  their  civilization 
and  self-support. 

It  appears  from  the  provisions  of  this  Act  that,  in 
1900,  the  government  will  have  to  purchase  all  the  unoccu- 
pied portions  of  this  ceded  territory  at  fifty  cents  per  acre, 
which,  added  to  the  $3,000,000  already  in  the  Treasury, 
will  constitute  a  permanent  fund  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Sioux  Indians,  of  no  small  proportions. 

The  Act  also  provides  for  the  distribution  of  twenty-five 
cows  among  the  Indians,  which  are  not  to  be  sold  under 
any  circumstances  ;  thus  the  number  will  never  diminish,  as 
when  they  become  too  old  to  be  profitable,  they  are  taken 
to  the  nearest  Indian  farmer  and  exchanged  for  young  cows, 
the  old  ones  being  used  in  the  regular  beef  issues.  Al- 
though the  original  stock,  which  is  branded  '*  I.  D.,"  the 
brand  of  the  Indian  Department,  is  not  allowed  to  be  sold, 
the  increase  becomes  the  personal  property  of  the  Indians 
and  are  branded  with  their  private  brand ;  thus  many  In- 
dians, half-breeds  and  squaw-men,  are  to-day  the  owners 
of  large  herds  of  cattle,  for  which  they  find  a  ready  market, 
and  are  really  becoming  rich. 

Perhaps  no  place  in  the  West  is  better  adapted  for  stock- 
raising  purposes  than  portions  of  the  Sioux  Reservation, 
the  valleys  of  the  streams  south  of  the  White  river  being 
green  and  luxuriant  while  many  portions  of  the  Western 
range  are  dry  and  withered.  In  these  fertile  valleys 
thousands  of  fat  sleek  cattle  belonging  to  the  squaw-men, 
graze,  the  year  around,  for,  be  it  known  that  this  favored 
class  has  all  the  rights  of  full-blooded  Sioux,  as  far  as 
stock  and  free  range  is  concerned  ;  but  they  draw  no  indi- 
vidual rations. 

The  Act  also  provides  that  each  head  of  the  family,  or 
single  person  over  eighteen  years  of  age,  who  takes  his 
or  her  allotment  in  severalty,  shall  be  furnished  with  two 
milk  cows,  one  pair  of  oxen  with  yoke  and  chain,  or  two 
horses  and  one  set  of  harness,  in  lieu  of  oxen,  yoke,  and 
chain,  as  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  may  deem  advisable,. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAIvOTAHS.  (591) 

also  one  plow,  one  harrow,  one  ax,  and  one  pitchfork,  and 
fifty  dollars  in  money,  to  be  expended  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  in  aiding  such  Indians 
to  erect  houses  or  other  buildings  suitable  for  residences 
or  the  improvement  of  their  allotments. 

In  this  connection,  it  is  gratifying  to  be  able  to  record  that 
this  allotment  plan  has  worked  out  some  desirable  reforms 
among  the  Indians  daring  the  past  few  years,  many  of 
whom,  under  its  beneficial  operations,  are  making  rapid 
strides  towards  self-support  and  resultant  civilization. 

NEGOTIATIONS    WITH    THE    SIOUX. 

The  commission,  appointed  in  1888  to  treat  with  the 
Sioux  for  their  great  reserve  in  Dakota,  and  which  met  in 
council  with  the  chief  representatives  of  the  Sioux  Nation 
at  Standing  Rock  Agency  in  July  of  that  year,  having 
proved  a  signal  failure,  a  second  commission  was  appointed 
in  1889  to  make  another  attempt  to  secure  their  acceptance 
of  the  terms  offered  by  the  government  in  the  treaty.  This 
second  commission,  which  was  composed  of  ex-Governor 
Foster  of  Ohio,  Major  Wm.  Warren,  and  John  B.  Warren 
of  Arkansas,  and  Gen.  Geo.  Crook,  visited  the  various 
agencies  during  the  summer  of  1889,  for  the  purpose  of 
trying  to  overcome  the  almost  universal  opposition  met 
with  by  the  commission  of  1888,  and  by  tact  and  skillful 
diplomacy,  and  the  influence  of  Gen.  Crook,  in  whose 
promises  they  had  the  utmost  faith,  finally  succeeded  in 
winnins  over  a  number  of  the  most  inliuential  chiefs  of  the 
tribes.  Subsequently  a  second  and  final  council  was  held  at 
Standing  Rock  Agency,  where,  in  the  face  of  a  good  deal 
of  opposition  and  some  disturbance  on  the  part  of  that 
chronic  disturber.  Sitting  Bull,  who  assumed  a  threatening 
attitude,  the  signatures  of  the  requisite  two-thirds  of  the 
Indians  were  attached  to  the  treaty. 

In  the  year  1890  came  the  *'  winter  of  their  discon- 
tent." The  liberal  provisions  of  the  "  bill  "  enacted  by 
Congress,  and   the  verbal  promises  made  by  Gen.  Crook, 


700  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

1-emalned  unfulfilled  for  many  months;  the  scant  crops 
sown  in  the  spring  of  1890  were  utterly  withered  by  the 
exceeding  drouth  of  the  following  summer;  the  rations 
on  some  of  the  reserves  were  cut  down,  reducing  them  to 
a  condition  of  starvation;  sickness  widely  prevailed  among 
the  tribes,  many  dying  more  from  lack  of  food  than  dis- 
ease. All  these  misfortunes,  it  is  claimed  by  their  apolo- 
gists, made  them  desperate.  Amid  this  general  gloom  and 
despair  among  the  Sioux  tribe  came  the  opportunity  of 
the  medicine-men,  who  heralded  forth  the  story  of  the 
near  advent  of  their  long  expected  Messiah,  which  they 
hailed  with  great  gladness. 

THE  MESSIAH  CRAZE  —  THE  GENERAL  UPRISING  —  THE  GHOST 
DANCES  — THE  TRAGIC  DEATH  OF  THE  GREAT  MEDICINE- 
MAN  THE     FATAL     BATTLE     OF     WOUNDED     KNEE THE 

FINAL    SURRENDER. 

The  ancestral  religion  of  the  Dakotahs,  like  that  of  all 
others  of  the  North  American  Indians,  was  polytheistic. 
They  not  only  worshiped  numerous  objects,  which  they 
deified  and  invested  with  more  or  less  potent  attributes, 
according  to  their  incomprehensibility,  chief  among  whom 
were  their  two  antagonistic  deities  —  the  good  and  the  evil 
spirits  —  and  believed  in  and  practiced  the  shedding  of  aton- 
ing blood  to  propitiate  their  incensed  divinities,  through 
the  mediation  of  their  medicine-men,  whom  they  regard  as 
the  personification  of  the  great  Wakan  —  the  essence  of 
all  good,  but  also,  it  is  claimed  by  those  familiar  with  their 
early  legends  and  traditions,  have  long  looked  for  the  com- 
ing of  a  Messiah. 

As  far  back  as  our  knowledge  of  their  traditions  extend, 
there  has  existed  among  them  a  class  of  lazy,  but  shrewd, 
impostors,  who,  claiming  supernatural  powers,  have,  by 
their  incantations  and  sorceries,  imposed  upon  the  cre- 
dulity of  those  benighted  people,  the  most  absurd  supersti- 
tions, among  which  was  the  belief  that  some  day  a 
*' Messiah"   would    appear,  like  an   avenging  Nemesis  at 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THK    DAKOTAHS.  701 

the  head  of  an  army  of  the  red  warriors  who  had  died  in 
battling  for  their  possessions,  and  lead  them  against  their 
white  oppressors.  From  this  it  would  appear  that  the  com- 
ing of  a  Messiah  had  long  been  a  part  of  their  creed,  and 
the  '*  ghost  dances  "  one  of  the  savage  rites  of  their  relig- 
ious worship. 

Taking  advantage  of  the  general  distress  and  discontent 
among  the  Dakotah  tribes  in  1890,  the  medicine-men  went 
to  work  at  compounding  medicines,  and  out  of  the  seething 
decoctions  or  mixtures,  juggled  the  prophecy  that  the  long- 
expected  Messiah  was  due,  and  that  their  day  of  retribution 
and  deliverance  was  at  hand.  To  prepare  for  the  coming 
event,  in  accordance  with  the  messages  transmitted  through 
these  impostors,  the  people  were  to  dance  for  four  con- 
secutive days  and  nights,  during  the  new  of  the  moon,  until 
the  advent  of  the  Messiah. 

It  is  asserted  by  some  that  the  "craze  "  was  largely  due 
to  the  teachings  of  a  fanatical  white  evangelist,  named 
Hopkins,  who  in  the  summer  of  1890  went  among  the  Pine 
Ridge  Indians,  claiming  to  be  the  true  "Messiah"  and 
strangely  enough  many  believed  in  him.  Later  the  im- 
postor was  unmasked,  arrested,  and  banished  from  the 
agency  by  the  soldiers.  Messiahs  also  appeared  at  some  of 
the  other  agencies,  but  it  is  believed  that  with  all  their  blind 
credulity,  they  were  generally  regarded  by  the  Indians  as 
spurious. 

While  the  mania  spread  far  and  wide  into  other  States, 
wherever  there  were  Indian  settlements,  the  "  craze  "  was 
the  most  violent  and  pronounced  among  the  Sioux  tribes  of 
South  Dakota,  and  Pine  Ridge,  being  the  largest  and  most 
important  of  the  South  Dakota  agencies,  became  the  center 
and  hot-bed  of  the  trouble,  numerous  bands  from  other 
agencies  massing  near  that  point  to  join  the  majority  in 
their  savage  rites. 

Although  the  attitude  of  the  Indians  at  Pine  Ridge  had 
for  some  time  been  extremely  threatening,  it  was  not  until 
about  the  middle  of  November  that  the  agent  wholly  lost 


702  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OR, 

control  of  them.  At  that  time  large  bands  under  the 
leadership  of  Little  Wound,  Six  Feathers,  and  other  chiefs, 
smuggled  away  their  guns  and  left  the  reservation  without 
leave  of  absence,  for  the  vicinity  of  White  Earth  River, 
and  on  the  16th  of  that  month  began  the  *'  ghost  dance," 
rirst  on  the  Wounded  Knee,  a  tributary  of  that  stream, 
at  a  point  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  agency,  and  later  at 
other  points.  Soon  after  several  bands  of  Rosebud  Indians, 
led  by  Two  Strikes,  Short  Bull,  and  Big  Foot  arrived  and 
began  the  dance  on  Porcupine  and  Medicine  Root  creeks, 
twenty-five  and  thirt}'  miles  distant  from  the  agency, 
respectively.  Almost  simultaneously  it  began  at  the  Chey- 
enne and  other  agencies,  and  at  the  hostile  camp  of  Sitting 
Bull  on  the  Grand  River  near  Fort  Yates. 

Hideously  painted  and  arrayed  in  their  invulnerable 
'♦  ghost  dance  "  shirts;  to  the  weird  music  of  the  tom-tom 
and  other  savage  devices  for  making  a  great  noise,  the  poor 
deluded  creatures  danced  round  and  round  a  center  pole, 
writhed  into  the  most  frightful  contortions  ;  pounded  old 
mother  earth  until  she  fairly  trembled  beneath  their  savage 
feet ;  beat  their  plumed  heads  one  against  another  in  mad 
frenzy,  until  they  finally  sank  exhausted,  and  almost  uncon- 
scious, to  the  ground,  when  another  set  of  braves  would  take 
their  places  and  repeat  the  performance. 

The  dancers  daily  increased  in  numbers,  and,  naturally, 
the  longer  they  danced  the  crazier  and  more  warlike  they 
became,  and  the  alarm  of  the  people  at  the  agency,  both 
red  and  white,  and  the  settlers  outside  the  reservation  grew 
in  proportion.  All  attempts  of  the  agent  and  Indian  police 
to  pacify  and  induce  them  to  return  to  the  agency  proved 
fruitless. 

In  the  intervals  of  the  dancing  they  employed  their  time 
in  devastating  the  settlements,  stealing  cattle  from  both 
the  settlers  and  the  "  government  herd,"  burning  buildings, 
nnd  demolishing  such  property  as  could  not  be  utilized, 
their  depredations  being  principally  directed  against  the 
half-breeds  who  refused  to  join  the  dance. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  703 

The  people  of  the  more  remote  settlements  in  Pennine- 
ton,  Custer,  and  Fall  River  counties  in  Dakota,  and  alono^ 
the  northern  border  of  Nebraska,  apprehending  that  the 
hostile  bands  might  consolidate,  and  start  out  on  the  war- 
path, petitioned  the  governors  of  the  respective  States  for 
arms  for  defense  ;  organized  home-guards,  sent  their  panic- 
stricken  women  and  children  into  the  towns  and  larser  set- 
tlements  for  safety,  determined  to  make  a  bold  stand  for 
their  homes  and  property. 

THE    ARRIVAL    OF    A    MILITARY    FORCE    AT    PINE    RIDGE. 

Upon  learning  that  the  Indians  had  gotten  beyond  re- 
straint and  were  leaving  their  reservations  in  large  bands 
without  leave,  Gen.  Miles  issued  orders  to  troops  stationed 
at  the  nearest  military  posts  to  proceed  at  once  to  Pine 
Ridge,  the  most  threatened  point,  and  on  or  about  Novem- 
ber 20th,  five  companies  of  infantry  from  Omaha,  and 
three  troops  of  cavalry  from  Fort  Robinson,  Nebraska, 
arrived  at  the  agency.  The  following  day,  or  very  soon 
after,  seven  troops  of  cavalry  from  Fort  Meade,  and  seven 
companies  of  infantry  from  Fort  McKinney,  also  troops 
from  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  and  other  points  arrived  at  the 
scene  of  prospective  war. 

Gen.  Brooke,  chief  in  command  of  the  military  forces, 
after  consulting  with  Agent  Royer,  decided  to  make  no 
aggressive  movement  against  the  hostiles,  who  were  then 
massed  in  large  bands  in  the  vicinity  of  White  Clay  creek, 
at  least  until  all  pacific  measures  were  exhausted.  Upon 
the  appearance  of  the  soldiers,  the  bands  which,  for  the 
most  part,  were  composed  of  young  braves,  made  their 
escape  across  the  White  Earth  river,  and  entrenched  them- 
selves amid  the  labyrinthian  defiles  of  the  Bad  Lands, 
whither  it  was  not  safe  for  the  soldiers  to  follow  ;  and 
from  where,  despite  the  "  Home-Guards  "  and  the  400 
troopers  stationed  at  the  mouth  of  Rapid  creek,  under 
Gen.  Carr,  who  patroled  the  country  bordering  the  Chey- 
enne river  on  the  west,  small  bands  frequently  stole  across 


704 


THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OH, 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THP:    DAKOTAHS.  705 

that  stream  and  raided  the  settlements  along  Rapid,  Spring, 
and  Battle  creeks,  in  quest  of  the  horses  and  other  prop- 
erty of  the  settlers,  who  were  ever  ready  with  loaded  guns 
for  their  appearance. 

It  early  developed  that  the  emissaries  of  Sitting  Bull 
were  continually  passing  to  and  fro  with  messages  from 
his  camp  to  the  bands  entrenched  in  the  Bad  Lands,  and 
the  malcontents  outside,  inciting  them  to  continue  hos- 
tilities. So,  about  November  27th,  Col.  Cody  (Buffalo 
Bill)  arrived  at  Standing  Rock  Agency,  from  New  York, 
bearing  a  commission  from  Gen.  Miles  to  visit  the  camp  of 
the  chief  medicine-man  on  the  Grand  River,  study  the  situ- 
ation, and  try  to  persuade  him  to  put  a  stop  to  the  ghost- 
dance-craze,  which  mission  proved  barren  of  good  results. 
Frequent  delegations  of  friendly  Indians,  of  whom  there 
were,  perhaps,  between  400  and  500  left  at  the  agency, 
went  into  their  almost  inaccessible  retreat  to  induce  them, 
if  possible  to  send  representatives  into  the  agency  to  talk 
over  their  grievances  with  Gen.  Brooke,  but  their  efforts 
were  unavailing.  Finally,  however,  through  the  intiuence 
of  Father  Jule,  the  Catholic  missionary  at  Pine  Ridge,  a 
number  of  prominent  chiefs  among  whom  were  Two- 
Strikes,  Big  Turkey,  Turning  Bear,  Big-Bad-Horse,  and 
other  influential  chiefs  with  equally  suggestive  appella- 
tions, in  full  ghost-dance  panoply,  armed  with  Winchester 
rifles,  and  surrounded  by  a  body-guard  of  several  painted 
warriors,  accompanied  Father  Jule  into  the  camp  of  Gen. 
Brooke,  under  the  protection  of  a  flag  of  truce.  During 
the  conference  which  followed,  Gen.  Brooke  assured 
them  that  if  they  would  return  and  remain  peaceable  on 
their  reservations,  they  would  be  provided  with  ample 
rations  and  in  due  time  all  their  grievances  would  bo  re- 
dressed. The  General's  overtures  were,  however,  received 
with  ominous  scowls  and  numerous  grunts  of  sullen  disap- 
proval and  after  a  few  harangues  from  the  savage  orators 
the  pow-wow  closed  without  having  received  from  them, 
any  promises  of  surrender. 

45 


706  THE    BLACK    HILLS  ;    OK, 

All  efforts  to  pacify  the  hostiles  proving  unavailing,  the 
military  authorities  decided  upon  two  heroic  measures  — 
first  the  arrest  of  Sitting  Bull,  who,  it  was  learned,  was  on 
the  eve  of  joining  the  hostiles  in  the  Bad  Lands  with  his 
followers;  second  the  disarmament  of  Indians  by  force, 
and  the  15th  of  December,  1890,  saw  the  beginning  of  the 
end.  On  the  night  of  that  day,  in  compliance  with  an  order 
from  Gen.  Ruger  of  St.  Paul,  dated  December  12th,  1890, 
a  detachment  of  soldiers  consisting  of  troops  F  and  H, 
Eighth  Cavalry,  under  command  of  Capt.  Fetchet  with  artil- 
lerj',  consisting  of  a  Hotchkiss  and  Gatling  gun,  surgeon, 
hospital  ambulances,  guide,  and  two  trusty  scouts,  followed 
by  Companies  H  and  G,  Twelfth  Infantry,  under  Col. 
Drum,  left  Fort  Yates,  preceded  by  a  force  of 
perhaps  thirty  superbly  mounted,  splendidly  ac- 
coutered  Indian  police  in  the  blue  uniform  of  United 
States  soldiers,  in  command  of  First  and  Second  Lieuts. 
Bull  Head  and  Shave  Head,  from  Standing  Rock  Agency, 
and  marched  away  under  the  cover  of  darkness  towards 
the  intensely  hostile  village  on  the  banks  of  the  Grand 
river,  to  Oak  creek  about  six  miles  distant  therefrom, 
where  the  military  made  a  temporary  halt. 

From  this  point,  the  faithful  police,  who  were  as  true  as 
steel  to  their  sworn  duty,  led  the  band  considerably  in  ad- 
vance of  the  cavalry  and  artillery,  which  was  to  keep 
within  supporting  distance. 

Noiselessly  and  carefully  they  picked  their  way  towards 
the  home  of  the  great  prophet,  and  just  as  the  first  glim- 
mering of  dawn  appeared  in  the  Orient,  Lieutenant  Bull 
Head  stealthily  approached  the  abode  of  the  yet  sleeping 
chieftain,  lifted  the  latch  of  the  unfastened  door,  cautiously 
stepped  within,  virtually  "bearding  the  lion  in  his  den," 
and  made  known  his  mission. 

Just  what  immediately  preceded  the  killing  of  Sitting 
Bull  is  not  positively  known,  as  there  are  two  different, 
and  quite  antagonistic  statements  made  in  regard  to  the 
occurrences  leading   up  to  it.     One  is  that  he  was  seized 


BUFFALO   BILL   IIULDIXG   A   CONFEUENCK   WITH    SITTIXG   BULL   A    SHORT 
TIME    PRIOR   TO    HIS   DEATH. 


LAST    HUNTING    (J ROUND    OF    THE    DAKOTAIIS.  707 

by  the  police  jiiul  dragged  outside  the  door,  when  he 
sounded  the  ahirm  which  brought  his  followers  to  his  res- 
cue, one  of  whom,  Catch-The-Bear,  tired  at  Bull  Head,  the 
captor  of  his  chief,  w'ho  then  like  a  flash  drew  his  re- 
volver, and  as  he  fell  mortally  wounded,  sent  the  fatal 
bullet  into  the  heart  of  Sitting  Bull.  The  other  is  that 
when  Bull  Head  entered  the  hut  of  Sitting  Bull,  his  young 
son  (Crow  Foot)  seeing  through  the  open  door  that  the 
house  was  surrounded  by  police,  gave  the  cry  of  alarm, 
whereupon  Bull  Head  tired  at  Sitting  Bull,  the  ball  enter- 
ing his  breast,  killing  him  almost  instantly,  and  that  while 
reeling  he  managed  to  draw  his  revolver,  which  exploded 
as  he  fell,  the  ball  entering  the  thigh  of  Bull  Head,  from 
the  effects  of  which  he  later  died. 

In  either  case,  the  uncompromising  foe  of  the  pale-faces 
received  his  death  wound  —  not  at  their  hands,  but  at  the 
hands  of  one  in  whose  veins  flowed  the  red  blood  of  the 
Dakotahs.  At  the  first  sound  of  the  savage  slogan  Sit- 
ting:: Bull's  faithful  followers  sjathered  around  their  fallen 
chieftain,  and  a  bloody  encounter  between  the  hostiles  and 
police  followed,  in  which  many  on  both  sides  fell,  the 
police,  knowing  that  Capt.  Fetchet  would  soon  come  to 
their  support,  bravely  holding  their  ground  against  largely 
superior  numbers. 

At  a  critical  juncture  the  dismounted  cavalry,  under 
Lieuts.  Crowder,  Slocum,  and  Steele,  advanced  down  the 
hill,  firing  steadily  as  they  approached,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  artillery,  which  had  been  placed  in  position  on  the 
hills  overlooking  the  village,  opened  their  batteries  on  the 
hostiles,  who,  dismayed  at  the  unexpected  onslaught,  fled 
precipitately  towards  the  timber  on  the  river. 

Capt.  Fetchet,  fearing  that  when  the  hostiles  rallied  he 
would  not  be  able  to  hold  the  village  with  the  force  at  his 
command,  returned  to  Oak  creek,  where  he  met  the  infantry 
under  Col.  Drum.  The  wounded  and  dead  policemen, 
together  with  the  bodv  of  Sitting  Bull,  were  placed  in  the 
ambulances  and  conveyed  to  Standing  Rock  Agency,  where 


708  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

Lieuts.  Bull  Head  and  Shave  Head  both  died  from  the 
wounds  received  in  the  battle,  and  were,  because  of  their 
tidelity,  buried  with  military  honors.  What  was  done  with 
the  l)ody  of  Sitting  Bull  is  not  known.  Among  the  police 
killed  in  the  encounter  besides  the  lieutenants  were  Little 
Eagle,  Broken  Arm,  Afraid-of-Soldiers,  and  Hawk-Man. 
Of  the  hostiles  besides  Sitting  Bull,  Crow  Foot,  his  young 
son.  Little  Assiniboine,  his  adopted  brother,  Catch-the- 
Bear,  Brave  Thunder,  and  Chase-the-^Vounded,  were  slain. 
While  the  death  of  Sitting  Bull  was,  in  one  sense,  a  great 
relief,  removing  as  it  did  the  chief  obstacle  in  the  way  of 
a  peaceful  solution  of  the  Indian  trouble,  it  caused  the 
most  intense  excitement  and  consternation  throughout  the 
Lidian  country,  and  a  keen  apprehension  that  many  of  the 
settlers  would  fall  victims  to  the  vengeance  of  the  hostile 
Sioux. 

THE    ADVENT     OF     GENERAL     MILES     AND    THE     DISARMAMENT 
OF    THE    HOSTILES. 

The  advent  of  Gen.  Miles,  the  great  Indian  pacificator,  at 
this  crisis,  was  made  the  occasion  of  special  rejoicing  at 
Pine  Ridge  and  among  the  people  of  the  surrounding 
country,  and  caused  a  perceptible  weakening  and  modifica- 
tion in  the  attitude  of  the  hostiles.  About  December  18th 
Two-Strikes  and  the  major  part  of  his  band,  numbering 
over  800  braves,  came  into  tne  agency  and  surrendered  to 
Gen.  Brooke.  Little  Wound  and  his  band,  and  old  Red 
Cloud  had  already  returned  to  the  ranks  of  the  friendlies, 
and  were  making  every  effort  to  bring  in  the  recalcitrant 
bands  from  the  Bad  Lands.  On  December  20th,  Big 
Foot  and  Hump  came  into  the  agency  with  their  bands, 
bringing  with  them  150  of  Sitting  Bull's  warriors,  who  had 
lied  after  the  death  of  their  leader  and  joined  the  hostiles 
near  Pine  Ridge.  The  next  day,  however,  he  broke  away 
from  the  agency  and  made  for  the  Bad  Lands,  pursued  by 
a  force  of  cavalry  under  Gen.  Carr.  By  December  2oth, 
uearlv    all    the    bands,  save   those  intrenched  in  the  Bad 


LAST    HUNTING    CUOUNI)    OF    THE    DAKOTAHS.  709 

Lands,  had  retuinod  and  surrendered  their  arms  to  Gen. 
Brooke. 

The  military  cordon  was  now  drawn  closer  and  closer 
around  the  hostile  entrenchment,  and  the  only  accessible 
pass  thereto  was  guarded  by  a  large  force  of  cavalry. 
Much  brisk  fighting  and  skirmishing  went  on  daily  in  the 
vicinity  of  Spring,  Rapid,  and  Battle  creeks,  between 
detachments  of  troopers  and  small  bands  of  hostiles  who 
were  trying  to  make  their  Avay  into  the  Bad  Lands,  but  of 
these  it  is  needless  to  go  into  tedious  detail. 

On  December  28th  the  welcome  news  was  brought  in 
by  a  scout  that  Big  Foot  was  on  his  way  to  surrender,  and 
that  all  the  Indians  in  the  Bad  Lands  had  also  decided  to 
come  in.  Upon  receiving  this  announcement,  a  part  of  the 
Seventh  Cavalry  in  command  of  Ca[)t.  Whiteside  hastily 
mounted  and  galloped  forward  to  meet  them,  and  on 
descending  the  slope  of  Porcui)ine  Valley  found  Big  Foot 
and  his  band  together  with  Sitting  Bull's  warriors  drawn 
up  in  battle  array  and  heavily  armed.  After  a  short 
parley,  the  renegade  chief  and  his  entire  band,  and  about 
250  women,  and  children  surrendered  to  Capt.  Whiteside 
and  were  marched  back  to  the  old  camp  of  the  Seventh 
Cavalry  on  the  Wounded  Knee. 

Reinforcements  were  immediately  sent  for,  and  early 
on  the  morning  of  the  29th  of  December,  Col.  Forsythe 
arrived  with  orders  from  Gen.  Brooke  to  disarm  the 
Indians,  for  which  arrangements  were  speedily  made. 

He  then  threw  his  force  of  500  regulars  around  the 
camp,  mounted  his  heavy  guns,  and  at  8  o'clock  issued  his 
order  to  disarm  the  Indians.  In  obedience  to  the  command 
of  Col.  Forsythe,  the  Indians  came  forward  from  their 
tepees,  leaving  the  squaws  and  children  behind,  when 
they  were  ordered  to  step  forward  by  twenties  and  deliver 
their  arms  to  Capt.  Whiteside.  They  stepped  forward  and 
gave  him  two  guns,  the  others  being  kept  hidden  under  the 
folds  of  their  blankets,  or  some  were,  ])erhaps,  left  back 
in  their  tents. 


710  THE    BLACK    HILLS;    OK, 

Regarding  this  as  a  lack  of  good  faith,  and  suspecting 
treachery  on  the  part  of  the  desperate  band,  Capt.  White- 
side ordered  his  dismounted  troopers  to  close  in  about  the 
Indians,  which  they  did,  taking  a  stand  within  twenty  feet 
of  them,  in  an  almost  complete  square,  when,  like  a  flash, 
they  drew  their  concealed  guns  from  beneath  their  blank- 
ets, and  fired  a  deadly  volley  into  the  closed  ranks  of  the 
soldiers.  Exasperated  at  this  base  treachery,  the  soldiers, 
scarcely  waiting  for  the  word  of  command,  opened  a  terrific 
fire  on  the  Indians,  who  fell  before  it  as  falls  the  grain 
before  the  sickle  of  the  reaper. 

After  a  short  but  terrible  hand-to-hand  combat,  the 
few  Indians  who  were  left  broke  and  fled  from  the  unequal 
contest  to  the  ravines  and  brakes  surrounding  the  camp, 
pursued  by  the  exasperated  troopers,  whom  it  was  found 
difficult  to  restrain.  As  soon  as  it  became  safe,  the  heavy 
guns  were  trained,  and  the  batteries  opened  on  the  ambus- 
cades of  the  fugitives,  driving  them  back  with  shot  and 
shell  to  the  buttes,  until  there  was  not  an  Indian  left  in 
sight. 

During  the  ensragement,  which  lasted  about  an  hour, 
there  were  twenty-nine  soldiers  killed,  among  whom  was 
Ca))t.  Geo.  D.  Wallace,  Troop  K,  Seventh  Cavalry  ;  and 
thirty-three  wounded,  among  whom  was  Lieut.  E.  A.  Gar- 
lington,  Troop  A,  Seventh  Cavalry,  who  was  also  Adju- 
tant of  the  Seventh  Cavalry,  at  the  time  of  the  Caster  battle 
in  187(5.  Lieut.  Garlington,  it  will  be  remembered,  ren- 
dered himself  famous  in  connection  with  the  expedition 
to  the  Arctic  region,  for  the  relief  of  Lieut.  Greeley  in 
1883. 

From  the  report  of  Gen.  Miles  to  the  Secretary  of  War, 
dated  at  Hermosa,  South  Dakota,  December  30th,  1890, 
there  were  ninety  dead  Indian  men  found  on  and  near  the 
plain  where  the  attempt  was  made  to  disarm  Big  Foot's 
band,  which,  including  those  killed  in  the  ravines  would, 
it  has  been  estimated,  swell  the  number  to  more  than  two 
hundred. 


LAST    HUNTING    GROUND    OF    THP:    DAKOTAHS.  711 

The  women  and  children  fled  to  the  hills  when  the 
fifing  first  began  and  many  were  unfortunately  killed  while 
on  their  flight  and  in  their  hiding-places,  which  in  the  con- 
fusion was,  no  doubt,  unavoidable. 

The  news  of  the  disastrous  battle  at  Wounded  Knee 
intensified  for  a  time  the  hostility  of  the  more  warlike, 
and  created  a  spirit  of  unrest  among  the  Indians  who  had 
surrendered,  large  numbers  of  whom  broke  away  from  the 
agency  and  tied  towards  the  Bad  Lands.  All  sorts  of 
alarming  rumors,  some  well  founded,  and  some  baseless, 
were  afloat,  causing  the  greatest  excitement  among  the 
friendly  Indians  and  the  settlers  who  flocked  into  the 
agency  for  safety. 

From  this  time  the  history  of  that  memorable  Indian 
campaign  may  be  briefly  summed  up.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  new  year  (1891)  there  were  near  the  center  of  hos- 
tilities, ready  for  active  service,  the  First,  Second,  Fifth, 
Sixth,  Seventh,  Eighth,  and  Ninth  Regiments  of  Cavalry, 
and  the  First,  Second,  Third,  Seventh,  Eighth,  Twelfth, 
Seventeenth,  Twenty-first,  and  Twenty-second  Regiments 
of  Infantry,  comprising  in  the  aggregate  about  8,000  well 
equipped  soldiers,  besides  Battery  A  of  First,  and  Battery 
F  of  Fourth  Artillery,  to  cope  with  3,000  hostile  Indians, 
among  whom  were  perhaps  not  more  than  600  warriors, 
who,  for  the  most  part,  were  safely  entrenched  among  the 
inaccessible  lava  beds  of  the  Bad  Lands.  The  problem 
was  to  dislodge  or  induce  them  to  come  forth  and  sur- 
render. 

On  January  5th  another  spirited  but  far  less  disastrous 
enofacreraent  took  place  a  few  miles  from  Wounded  Knee. 
Upon  learning  that  a  train  of  wagons  loaded  with  supplies 
was  approaching  on  the  Rapid  City  road  a  detachment  of 
thirty  picked  troopers  was  sent  out  to  meet  the  train  and 
protect  it  from  probable  attack,  and  they  were  none  too 
soon,  for  they  had  not  gone  more  than  ten  miles  before 
they  discovered  the  train  of  thirteen  wagons  corralled,  and 
surrounded     by     about     fifty     whooping     Indians.     The 


712  THE    BLACK    HILLS:    OR, 

troopers  put  spurs  to  their  horses  and  galloped  to  their 
relief,  when  the  Indians  retreated  to  a  neighboring  hill. 
The  soldiers  joined  the  teamsters,  nineteen  in  number,  and 
they  together  quickl}^  threw  up  breastworks  composed  of 
boxes,  sacks  of  grain,  etc.,  but  had  hardly  finished  the  work 
before  the  Indians  returned  to  the  attack  with  numbers 
augmented  to  more  than  a  hundred  warriors,  leaving  a 
large  reserve  force  on  the  adjoining  hills.  They  circled 
round  and  round,  firing  into  the  barricade  at  long  range, 
doing  but  little  damage,  while  an  occasional  red-skin  was 
seen  to  reel  and  fall  from  his  saddle. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  siege,  a  trooper  named  Collins 
made  a  bold  dash  through  the  circling  lines  of  Indians,  and 
sped  swiftly  away  after  re-enforcements  followed  by  about 
twenty  Indians  in  distant  pursuit,  who  soon  gave  up  the 
chase  and  returned  to  the  attack. 

After  the  battle  had  raged  for  three  long  hours,  and  at  a 
critical  time,  when  Indian  bullets  were  flying  thick  and  fast 
around  the  little  besieged  party,  troops  were  seen  coming  in 
full  charge  to  the  rescue.  The  Indians  broke  and  fled  to 
the  hills,  one  of  the  troops  giving  chase,  w^hich,  however, 
was  soon  abandoned.  Four  cavalry  horses  were  shot  and 
killed  and  one  soldier  slightly  wounded.  Many  Indians 
fell,  and  a  large  number  of  ponies  were  killed,  and  some 
captured. 

On  January  8,  1891,  Indian  affairs  at  the  different  South 
Dakota  agencies  were  temporarily  placed  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior,  under  the  sole  control  of  the  military,  with 
Gen.  Miles  in  supreme  command,  when  the  ))rospect  for  a 
speedy  settlement  of  the  trouble  materially  brightened. 
Every  morning  reports  were  brought  in  by  scouts,  that  the 
Indians  were  coming  in  to  surrender,  but  every  evening 
found  the  promise  unfulfilled,  and  so  the  campaign  dragged 
along.  Finally  Gen.  Miles,  aided  by  the  efforts  of  Frank 
Gourard,  chief  of  the  Indian  police,  Buffalo  Bill,  and  the 
unremitting  labors  of  Father  Jule,  secured  a  conference 
with  a  number  of  the  leading  chiefs,  which  resulted   in  a 


LAST    HUNTING    GIJOUNI)    OV    THK    DAKOTAHS. 


713 


complete  surrender  of  all  the  hostile  forces  in  the  B:ul 
Lands,  the  last  bands  reluctantly  yielding  up  their  arms  to 
Gen.  Miles  on  January  15th,  1891.  Thus  ends  the  story, 
briefly  and  imperfectly  told,  of  the  great  Messiah  Croze, 
and  the  last  uprising  of  the  Dakotahs. 


RETURN     CIRCULATION  DEPARTMENT 
TO-i-^'      202  Main  Library 


LOAN  PERIOD  1 
HOME  USE 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 


Renewals  and  rech«ra««  m,.,  ^\ 


gc^'ffrgcs  may  ba  mg^e 


inrj  6i»2  3<05 


S  to  the  Clrr...l:.ti^  ,A^^|, 


DUE  AS  Sf  A/WW6ttOW 


EEL  CIR  g  ^  5 

^^  CIH  AUG 


SL 


i^AR  1  2  1989 


_.  .^  ^  ;  V  ^  D 


OCT  24 1987 
AUTO.  DISC. 


6)984 


|iiJ-S 


1995 


AUiuuisaMAR17'89 


OCT  \}\)  .^^ 


it 


OirdJllM 


SC&CIR.APR  29^ 


Ocri3]999 


'm 


AUG05^<5?8 


MS/ 12^91 


JUN  1  2  ZOOO 


AUTO  DISC.  jiJN  02 '88 


AyTOWSC  WAY  10*91 


JWi^fe.^H^ 


wt^ 


a4fiS- 


AN  ii!  5  19£9 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELEY 
FORM  NO.  DD6,  60m,  1/83  BERKELEY,  CA  94720 


(^s 


U,C-  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


CDDfiT13T31 


